The Arrows of a Warrior {Family Friday}

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you a craft I did - a wooden arrow made of scraps of wood I found in our garage.  Yes, arrows are on trend, and they are super cute, but for my hubby and I they have a little more meaning.  

As the days of summer tick on I am reminded daily that August is looming.  This will be the month in which my first baby will move across the country to start the next chapter in his life. On his first deciding to attend school so far away (1600 miles away - a 26hr drive), my mommy-heart was naturally saddened.  But, I knew he had earnestly prayed about his decision and really felt this was where God was leading him.  I am beyond proud of his academic accomplishments, and the blessings those have afforded him.  But I would only be kidding myself if I didn't think the distance was going to be difficult. Since the time of his decision, God has made it clear over and over again that this indeed is where he wants my baby to be.  He has answered prayer after prayer concerning the transition - a church whose pastor has Oklahoma ties, a BCM director whom he has already connected with, and so on.  As I study his face and his countenance I know that he is ready, and I feel confident sending him out into the world.  

Back to the arrow. The Bible tells us that children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior.  

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.

-Psalm 127:4

  
As my hubby and I pondered this verse, we agreed.  A warrior most likely is not going to keep his arrows in his quiver for safe keeping.  No, he is going to shoot them out into battle.  So, as the days pass this summer I am soaking up every moment - trying to memorize his face - and my hubby and I are cramming in those last moments of instruction as we prepare to shoot our first arrow out into the world.  May he be a light for You Lord.

You can see the arrow got a little extra decoration in the form of a piece of card stock printed with his destination attached with gold thumbtacks.  

This portion of our hallway (dark skinny hallway - impossible to photograph) has been lined with pics of all the kiddos at their 1st birthday (the pic on the left of course) for years.  Entering into this new phase - this will be the new tradition:  senior pic next to 1 year pic, with arrow of destination above.  I love being able to celebrate with my children and I am excited to watch their lives unfold in the hands of The Lord.

Linking up at Titus 2 Tuesday

Outdoor Rearranging

So, when we returned from our fabulous vacation, we had several days of rain, and finally a couple of dry days - dry enough to put up our 'redneck' pool!!  I love it and so do the kids!  As we were setting up the pool and getting out all the pool 'accessories' I was reminded that I needed a better way to organize things.  

I really haven't done anything on our patio for a couple of years because I have this vision that requires several purchases and quite a bit of labor.  Both of which are not close to the top of the list right now.  So, I've been kind of stuck.  

But, I just recently read The Nester's book - and I was convicted.  I have embraced the inside of my home, and have been making it ours right now where we are, with what we have.  But, I just hadn't got past what I wanted outside...until now. 

I decided that it needed to be more functional for our family for the summer, and I needed to work with what I had.  Here is kind of where I started (you know, I tore into it and then remembered I would want a 'before' pic :)).

I decided to move the table to the other side of the patio, and use the area closest to the door for pool stuff organization.  I had purchased some solar lights last summer and never hung them, so those found a home.  Things were shuffled around and it all ended like this.

I had found a few stumps, several years back and they have been neglected living on my back patio since.  They got a new home next to my lounge chair.  They have already been used as tables and seats!  

The pool stuff mostly found homes on the wall. 

Everything you see that I already had except for the hooks - found those on clearance at Hobby Lobby - $10 for both.

The wire baskets are actually for flowers, but they work great for water balls and diving things (except the diving sticks fall out through the bottom - but that's okay).  I found a couple of hooks in my garage and attached them to the wall to hold the goggles.

This is such a better system compared to the large bucket we had last year that you had to dig through to find anything, and the towels and swimsuits were just draped over the chairs - making them unusable.  Loving it and SO glad I fixed up the patio even though I don't have exactly what I want!!

I am soaking up every minute of summer with my kiddos!!  They aren't getting any younger, and I want more and more to enjoy every second!!

Linking up at IHeart Organizing  / Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop / One Project at a Time / Hit Me With Your Best Shot / Works For Me Wednesday / Create It Thursday / Enchanting Inspiration / Thrifty Thursday / Fridays Unfolded / Frugal Friday / Remodelaholic Anonymous / Link Party Palooza / Share Your Creativity / DIY Sunday Showcase / That DIY Party

Rustic Kitchen Island

When I 'finished' my kitchen update a few months ago. There were still a couple of projects that I was holding onto in the back of my mind. But, after all the time I had spent on that one project, I just needed to let it rest for a while - you know like you do with a good steak.  

So, after a good rest I decided to move forward with something I had been dreaming about for a while and this is what came out of a little bit of work.

My inspiration came from a Sarah Richardson kitchen.  I think I pinned photos of the island in her kitchen several times - they just kept popping up!!  I love everything she does!  So, when I saw this kitchen island with the rustic wood, I was instantly crushing!!  I don't have as grand of an island as this, in face it's not even technically an island, but more of a bar.  But, I knew that this would be doable.  Here's the before:

Maybe you can see the set-in space there - that piece of 'wood' is actually cheap paneling.

So, I gathered together some old fence pickets from a friend, that had the exact rustic look I was going for and went to work (be prepared for LOTS of pics :)).

First up was sanding all the pieces, top bottom, and edges, to prevent as many splinters as possible.  

The next step came from my friend Jennifer's wisdom - paint the background a similar color as the planks - because they are not going to match up perfectly (it's old wood), and this way the spaces won't be as noticeable.

I also had to build a frame on the end since that surface was completely flat.  I just used 1" x 1/2" boards that I had on hand to do that.

Then we went to work cutting our pieces.  

This took longer than anything because I really had no idea what I was doing.  Ha!!!  I knew the look I was going for obviously, so I started in the corner with a triangle and went from there. (sorry for the poor photos, but I was working feverishly one evening wanting to get this done!)

When we got all the pieces cut it was time to attach them.  I went with my go-to adhesive for things like this - liquid nails.

And, once again, I used good 'ole painters tape to hold everything in place until the glue dried.  For the most part the pieces were pretty wedged into the frame, but this just made me feel better.

As I was working along to this point I noticed that the fence pickets boards were a little thicker than my frames.

So, I decided to use some trim to make it look a little more cohesive and finished.

I picked out my trim and I painted it with the cabinet color and then attached it with more liquid nails.  And, of course, more painters tape to hold everything.

And here is my finished product.

I'm so in love with the results!!  It's not perfect by any means, but that's the rustic beauty of it.  Just the touch the room needed!!

Here's the before again just to see the difference.

The blessing of this project is that it really only cost me around $30 - the cost of the trim and the liquid nails.  Everything else I had or got for free!! Can't beat that for a little rustic flare!!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!!  Off to find my next project :)!

Linking up at Thrifty Decor Chick: July Before and After / Best of The Nest / Tutorials & Tips Link Party / Take-A-Look Tuesday / One Project at a Time / Brag About It Link Party / Hit Me With Your Best Shot / Wow Us Wednesdays / DIY'ers / Work It Wednesday / Create It Thursday / Thrifty Thursday / Fridays Unfolded / Frugal Friday / Remodelaholic Anonymous / Party in Your PJ's / Link Party Palooza / That DIY Party / Share Your Creativity / Enchanting Inspiration