Home Sanctuary

Company Girl Coffee 9.3/Small Thing

In the spirit of "quick and easy clutter control," our Small Thing Today will give us a taste of what it feels like to put a fast dent in clutter. 

This is it: Simply find five things to throw away...and then actually throw them away.

Quick. Easy. Points.

POINTS: 50 (10 for each item)

BONUS POINTS: Up to 50 MORE if you can find five more things to toss (10 points each item.)

See, simplify101 has already inspired us!!

 

And now for some coffee.  Last week, I made it around to all the blogs that linked up and I sure enjoyed catching up with you all!  Our weekly coffee time is such a simple way to connect, and it always feels like I'm stopping in at a friend's house, (using the back door of course, 'cause that's what friends do) and having a fun visit.  Just put your blog URL into the linky tool and enjoy the company! Non-bloggers can participate in the comment section and we love to catch up with you that way.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  I will see you back here on Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday here in the U.S.

Company Girl Coffee 8.27

School started this week - this is our youngest kid's junior year in high school.  I've already cried publicly about that on this blog so I'll save the boo-hooing this time around.  Here's our annual "first day of school" photo:

Standing on tip-toe to kiss Grayson's cheek.

Two years ago, it was a different story:

This will be a year of ACT's, SAT's, hard classes and extra activities for him.  It will also be a year of more freedom and truly starting to "launch" into life - with a driver's license and a part time job, the world is his oyster :)  Can you believe how much he has grown?? A single tear trickles down my face.....

I hope you've had a great week!  I invite you link up for virtual coffee - you don't need a fancy post or clever subject.  Just typing your blog post URL into the Linky Tool invites people to your blog to visit - it's that simple.  If you are not a blogger, just chat in the comments and let us know what is going on in your life! The Company Girls are an incredible group of women and I know you'll love getting to know them.

There is no Small Thing today....enjoy your day!!

 

Designed for Wellness Course - And Coffee

I wanted to let you know about a healthy living course I learned of recently. Lisa Byrne (from The WellGrounded Life) just opened registration for her Designed for Wellness course for busy moms, which is set to begin Sept 18.

I thought the course looked really good, but I'll be honest - I had some apprehension about passing the information on....how would she address the spiritual aspect of "holistic," a word that makes me nervous? So I asked her directly and was pleased to find out that she is a Christian, and approaches her lessons from that framework. I don't think you'll find direct references to Jesus Christ in her course, but if you understand her Christian perspective, I believe you'll see her faith shining through.  Here is a description:

It is for moms who have their plates full and feel drained and exhausted at the end of the day, but want to feel the freshness of true energy again.

It's for moms who are ready to put themselves back on their list of priorities, while not being expected to check out of their lives and responsibilities in order to make those shifts.

For moms who want more than to lose a few pounds only to gain them back- but want a sustainable true way to nourish their body back to their ideal weight-- and ideal way of feeling.

It's for moms who want the clarity of an uncluttered mind, the ease of balanced moods and a deeper sense of knowing themselves and how to best care for their bodies.

Designed for Wellness takes a completely holistic approach to nutrition and wellness, which means you'll focus on how all the areas of your life are connected.

You'll get the fundamentals of excellent health down by learning skills to understand what you body needs and how to best feed it and take care of it.  And most of all, you'll learn the strategies you need to do this in the context of a busy, others-focused life.

As a mom, you need concrete and practical tools that fit into your lifestyle as it is.  This course will deliver an uncomplicated process that allows you to bring in major change at your own pace and in ways that fit you best.

The course runs for 12 weeks and is through an online, multimedia format. Through weekly videos, teleclasses, forums, open coaching calls and course materials moms take themselves to a whole new level of health.  The ripple effect impacts their families as well, because when mom is feeling at the top of her game, her husband and children benefit tenfold.

To learn more details about the course and hear what other women are saying about Lisa's courses, check out the Designed for Wellness page here.

Registration will be rolling until Sept 17 or until class is filled.

Let me add that this is not a paid advertisement - just something I thought might be beneficial to my sweet readers. I bet she'd love a tweet or FB mention from us - just 'cause that's what friends are for.

Today's Small Thing is to continue working on yesterday's task - I know it was a biggie and we need more time. Spend at least 10 minutes thinking about/working on/organizing your housekeeping tasks and give yourself 40 more points!

Whew! That was a lot to cover in one blog post. Let's take a few minutes to relax and visit with friends over fake coffee. Ahem, virtual coffee :). Link up and chat away...newcomers, don't by shy - join in!

today's song: That's What Friends Are For - Stevie Wonder

Company Girl Coffee 8.13

Week Highlight: My sister, Katherine and her kids came over yesterday and spent the night with us! You'd think we would get to see each other more often, but living 70 miles from each other makes it really complicated, when we each lead such full lives. Weeks and months pass by without us getting a chance (or making the chance) to get together and it's heartbreaking.

Aww, look at the two of us! Company Girls for life.

We've decided we CAN do something once a month. Right? Surely we can meet halfway for lunch or set aside a couple of hours to catch up. That's our goal.

Life is too short - and we can do better than we've been doing about seeing each other.

How about you? What are you trying to do better? Is there something you are specifically trying to improve in your life? (BTW, I'm also trying to organize my receipts better, but that's not nearly as fun to write about.)

Hey, link up for Company Girl Coffee, our weekly feature that gives us a chance to visit each other's blogs and chat away in the comment section! Jump in and participate! You don't need an "agenda" or a fancy post - just invite people over by linking up below. The comment section is a free-for-all, so we can get to know our non-blogging Company Girls better there.

There is NO SMALL THING TODAY, due to excessive partying and talking into the late night hours. See what happens when it's been too long between visits? Things really suffer.

Have a great weekend, sweet friends! ~Rachel Anne

Company Girl Coffee 8.6

I finished the horse-themed murals - finally! (with the teeny exceptions of the faux French memo board for displaying ribbons, the growth chart, additional greenery and the rope emblazoned table, which will be done today. whew.)

The Jack Russell Terrier is done......boy I hated painting his eyes. I wanted to glue some googley eyes on and walk away, it was so hard.

The distant pasture and horses help balance the jumping horse. Looking at the photo, I see where I need to go back and fix the furthest colt's feet. It looks like he's wearing high top tennis shoes. How did THAT happen??

The growth chart just needs some feet and inches marked on it and it's done. The pink flowers are really just blobs of red, pink and white paint, all smooshed together...but I love how they soften the "plank" of wood.

I'll skip photos of the memo board, since it needs quite a bit of work, and move on to the hen and chicks. I had used a simple line sketch for my pattern, which had no details on it at all. I was really kicking myself for not having better reference material on hand when I started painting the details. Chicken enthusiasts, forgive my hack job - I know it's all wrong.......but fortunately, no one really cares.

Thanks for journeying along with me through this mural process. It was painfully slow, but as of today....IT'S OVER!!!!

Time for some coffee, my friends. Link up below for a fun round of visiting, and being visited by, some of the nicest people on the planet. Simply put your blog post URL into the Linky Tool and enjoy the company. Non-blogging Company Girls, feel free to chat in the comment section - because we appreciate your presence, comments and participation too!

Company Girl Coffee 7.30

Guess what??

On Monday, we'll get back to doing Small Things together! Woot! I've missed getting together each day for our daily dose of fun and accomplishment.....and I must say my house will be grateful for the attention. Let me ask you: Do you subscribe to Home Sanctuary via email so that you won't miss a single post? Please don't tell me "no." :) Here - I'll make it easy for you!

Subscribe to Home Sanctuary by Email

If email subscriptions aren't your thing, you could subscribe in a reader of your choice by clicking here. 

And speaking of subscriptions, I'll be sending out a newsletter this weekend and I'd hate to have you miss it. I'll be updating you on the gift book I've been trying to finish working on as well as talking about putting together a Company Girl "Real Life" Get Together! Here's the link for the sign up page. (Don't worry...I don't flood your email box with junk - I send it just a few times per year.)

I've come CLOSE to finishing the horse murals. I took off over a week, so this has really gotten dragged out - but I'm feeling pretty good about the results.

The bathroom "tack room" got a signboard, bridle, rope and a bunch of doo-dads. Sometime I'll have to show ya'll how to paint greenery and flowers because it is SIMPLE! You could do it, I promise.

 

Tack supplies, complete with a little furry friend.

 

 And another one, with cheese.

Random stones and greenery break up the huge expanse of beige walls.  There will be some framed prints on each side of the armoire, so the stones will recede into the background. The homeowner liked the "wood" wainscot so much that we brought more of it out into the bedroom area.

The built-in desk needed something, so I've painted more stones and I have the start of a hen and chicks going. It would be cute to have some painted chicken wire, but I'll have to feel inspired to add it and I'm kinda tired.

 

There will be a playful Jack Russell Terrier on a hay bale, and you can see he is base-coated in. I could not get the homeowner's dog to sit still long enough to take a photo to get the markings right so I gave up and moved on to the chicken. 

 

Now that the furniture is in place, the horses peeking through the barn door look right at home. There are only a few more details to finish up and then I'll be able to put my brushes up for awhile. Whew!

Well, have YOU had a good week? We'd love to hear about it! Link up below for our weekly feature, Company Girl Coffee. It's really simple and it's a great way to get to know some delightful friends. Then venture out and visit as many blogs as you can! Easy, peasy.

 

Company Girl Coffee 7.16

I think I have the right day for company Girl Coffee this week!  Whew, what a week it's been.

My parents' 50th anniversary party went great last Saturday. Aren't they a cute couple?

After hosting guests for 5 days besides the actual party, we were exhausted!  When Monday came around, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck - but it was well worth the effort to celebrate this big milestone. It was a wonderful time.

The horse murals........sigh. I didn't get a whole lot done. Here, I'm working on the bathroom "tack room." Today I will add a bridle, more brushes, random bricks and a sign. Unfortunately, my back has some kind of knot in it and is killing me, so I will be munching on ibuprofen as I work. Ouch!

I hope you are having a wonderful July!  I can't tell you how much I miss meeting up with you every day! Link up below so we can come and visit your blog - and if you aren't a blogger, simply chat in the comment section.  It's an easy way to connect with one another and get to know other Company Girls.  Are you new to all of this?  Just jump in and link up! We're very informal around here.

Company Girl Coffee - Horse Mural Photos

Thank you, kind friends, for your well wishes yesterday.  I am feeling better after getting some medicine and some rest!  Today, I thought you might like to see my progress on the equestrian themed bedroom (the one that is replacing Cinderella, sniff).

The bathroom will house the tack: a saddle, bridle, blanket, bucket and brush.  For now, I only have the painted wood wainscot done, for a "stable" effect:

I really find it funny that I've spent so much time painting cracks in bathrooms.

I have DREADED doing the horse. I literally pulled up to the house and sat in the car and said to myself, "this is going to be a disaster."  Such winning self talk. However, using a muralist "trick of the trade," I projected the exact image I wanted onto the wall so I could get at least the SHAPE of it right.

I forgot to take photos prior to the beginning stages of shading. This guy's eye looked evil for the longest time and I struggled to fix it. Note the invisible rider.

This is where I am now. The invisible rider at least has clothes on now, but I still see some problems with this horse. Plus I need to beef up the reins because they look like strings.

Also, something about the saddle is bugging me.  It looks like a honey bun, and that will never do. I'll fix it today....and will attempt the girl rider.  Have I mentioned that I don't EVER paint people? Too much room for error: flowers and foliage are sooo much easier because no one can tell if you mess up!

And, not that you care, but I think you do...I share a photo of my hair progress. Ya'll encouraged me in this folly to grow it out, but I have to admit it feels a little flat. Beth Moore says every southern woman believes that "the higher the hair, the closer to God," and I've bought into that for so long it's hard to let it go.

I think I need vol-yum on top. Just to be closer to God.

(I don't know how to take centered self-portraits, or is it self-centered portraits?)

Ladies, now it's YOUR turn!  Link up for our weekly Company Girl Coffee by entering your blog (post) URL into the Linky Tool below.  It's a simple and fun way to invite people to your blog, and get to know others by stopping in for visits.

I always encourage our non-blogging CG's to participate in the comments....there are so many of you and we'd love to get to know you better! If you're not sure what to say in a comment, how about a simple: "Hi, my name is _________, and I've been reading Home Sanctuary for __________ (days/months/years.)" Then just tell us one or two things about yourself.  Even if you've commented before, feel free to join in...that way we can know more about you. Have a wonderful weekend!

Company Girl Coffee and a Little About Love

Tom and I are celebrating our 27th anniversary today! A dear friend is sending us to dinner at a lovely restaurant tonight and we might even catch a movie afterward, if we are not too full and sleepy by then. It's sort of hard to believe we've been at this marriage thing this long....and then I'm reminded that my parent's 50th is coming up in a few weeks and have to admit we're only about half way there! That is a beautiful thought.

I'm hugely thankful for this guy, who puts up with me blogging at all hours and accepts my creative disorganization with such grace.  We are still best friends and find endless ways to spend time with each other...talking, hanging out, working....pretty much being in the same room with each other is always a good thing.  I know that's kind of weird, but it's really true. After all these years, we are still crazy about each other.

Yep, I still believe in "happily ever after," and wrote about it over on Priscilla's blog. Stop over!

Today's Small Thing is simple and sweet: do a little something nice for someone you love. If you are married, maybe choose your spouse to do something for: write a note, send a text, call for no reason, make a yummy meal, flirt....it doesn't matter what you do or how it's received.  If a spouse is not available (or nonexistent), find someone else in your life to reach out to.  So often we over think things and feel like they have to be grand gestures in order to be important.  In reality, it's the little things that mean the most....and that's all you have to do today. Just share your love in some small way.

POINTS: 50 for doing something nice for someone you love. Easy and fun!

Now, how about sharing a cup of coffee (or glass of iced tea) together? Company Girl Coffee is our regular Friday feature that gives everyone an opportunity to be part of our little community.  Simply enter your blog post URL into the space below and invite others to stop in for a visit.  Then try and get around to visit the other blogs that link up!  Non-bloggers participate in the comments and we love that...don't be shy!

Savor

This is a re-post from last year, but the message in it hits me right where I'm at today.  Maybe you'll enjoy it, too.

 

FYI: This is not a photo from our weekend, but it goes with our Small Thing. :)

It was one. hellacious. weekend.

We cleaned out the barn and "bunny hutch," as we call it, and hauled stuff off to the dump.  The guys (Tom, Pops, Grayson and Robert) did 99% of the work, sweating, hauling, lifting, throwing...and we all made trip after trip to either load junk "to go" or re-stack what was staying.  We marveled at the amount of stuff being tossed. 

It was testament to the past 10 years of having too much on our plates than to deal with the piles that accumulate over time.  And having the luxury of a barn to throw things in....a luxury that comes back to bite you in a decade.

But as horridly hard as this job was, there were small moments to savor.

• The guys listening to Pops tell stories at Whataburger.
• Making jokes about some of the wild things we came across in our clean up.
• Seeing my 15 year-old son's muscles as he did a he-man's job.
• Finding the donkey standing smack in the middle of where we needed to work, looking ridiculous.
• Sitting in the breezeway, trying to cool off, and talking about nothing in particular.
• Enjoying a steak dinner after a hard day's work.

My daughter Meghan has a famous quote, which we laugh over: "One of my favorite things in the world is being miserable with people I love!"  And this experience ranked right up there with some of our family misery lore.

I was reminded how funny life is sometimes.  How we try so hard to create wonderful memories by setting up great vacations, fun scenarios and picture-perfect events.  And yet the things we end up reliving and retelling the most often are the disasters, the snafu's, and the barn-trash-hauling moments that seemed so awful at the time.

And I don't want to miss the crazy beauty in this, because it's in there.  Somewhere.

Today's Small Thing is to simply.....savor. 

Savor what is going on in your life right now.  Whether it is good or bad, hard-going or smooth sailing, it's important to remember those moments along the way that make your life rich.  The poopy diapers, the crying babies, the sullen teenager, the worry over bills and the grass that needs cutting...those things will all pass into the history books along with the birthday parties, extravaganzas and graduations. And it's all part of your rich history.

This is LIFE, this is LIVING, in all its mess and glory.  Look for a bright moment in the middle of your chaos, and close your eyes in the wonder of where you are and the life you have.  You may shake your head at the audacity of this Small Thing in light of your situation, but I know you'll find a way to make it happen.

There is beauty in imperfection, magnificence even in mistakes and treasures to be found in the mundane. Savor something in your life today, both the sweet and not-so-sweet moments.

POINTS: 50 for finding something to savor

What will you savor today?  We'd love to hear what it is!

Feel free to link up for coffee below!  It's an easy way to invite new (and old) friends to your blog, and stop by and visit others' blogs.  Non-bloggers can chat in the comment section so we can catch up with you there.