~WHEN THE PATHWAY IS UNCLEAR~

One thing I've noticed about myself over the past couple of years is that instead of experiencing a place of calm in my life I've struggled more than ever with a measurable element of fear.   It's not been over anything in particular really...just getting older (I suppose) and the reality that I miss parts of my life I'll never ever have again.

Example:

When my Mr. AGPMan sit down at the table for dinner these days there isn't a time when I don't immediately think of my two grown children and all the fun we had around meal time during their growing up years (one of them sneaking to the bathroom to spit out a mouthful of peas comes to mind...which years later I found out they BOTH DID!)...

How I long for those days and how I really miss my babes!  Now that they are both adults I guess I sometimes feel like they don't need their momma so much anymore

(at least not in the same way...)

And then there is this:

As my husband begins his last six weeks of schooling, the completion of a long-time dream for both of us, I'm left feeling anxious and even a bit overwhelmed.  I keep thinking...it's finally almost over!  The constant studying, the long hours apart from one another, the loneliness.  THE END is finally in sight...  THE END~funny word for something that should mark a beginning of a fresh new chapter in our lives.

I've been feeling afraid that after all the work, the prayers and the planning for this dream to come to pass, the sacrifices and all the added stress, that the changes both he and I are hoping will come, well, won't.

And then there is, markedly less critical mind you, my work.  You know...what I do in my life~

paint, sew, booth space, blog, etc.

I'm wondering how much longer I'm going to do it all!  Maybe I've shared all I can...maybe the well has run dry.

I've been thinking maybe it has. 

(I know this is all over the place...sorry!)

I have a tendency to discount my fears.  It's hard for me to face them, big and small!   I try and cover them up and pretend they don't exist.  I try and act secure...like nothing is bothering me and all is well.  The truth is, sometimes I just feel utterly crummy with a head full of a bajillion thoughts running away untamed!  None the least of is that I'm not sure WHERE my place is anymore.  I miss my old, often mundane, neatly packaged life.  I miss the day-to-day happenings that were once familiar and understood.

I knew where I was going.

I knew where I had been.

Today the pathway feels so unclear.

My prayer to God last night started out like this:

Hello, Lord!  It's me, Rebecca!  I'm whining again...

And then, about halfway through my chattering (during the time I TRY and not talk, but just LISTEN!), just like He always does, God reminded me of a few things I needed reminding of...

It took only a tiny pebble and the willingness of one young boy to topple a towering giant named Goliath.

Compared to the riches of the wealthy, the widows coin seemed insignificant...

David had a sling and Moses had a staff.

Samson had  a jawbone.

Rahab had a string, while Mary had the oil.

Dorcas had a needle and Job had the faith.

~~*~~

"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest." 

(Matthew 11:28)

~~*~~

I have so much to be grateful and thankful for.  In spite of where I find my heart today I know God has instilled within me a desire to continue to seek His Will, His Plan for my life.

Seeking His face today...and His grace~

Love to you...

~SHABBY FRENCH WHITE STUFF on the CHEAP~

This week I finished turning the vintage picture frames I told you about sometime back into chalkboards!  I found four of these great embossed beauties at a local tag sale for a really good price.  But...the prints inside the frames were crummy so I took them out.  My Mr. AGPMan cut new inserts for me and I painted them with black chalkboard paint.  I love how they came out.  Two are going to my booth space and two I'm keeping for MOI! :)

See these sweet tags?  Know what they are made of?  Hmmm...well I didn't either!  I found ten of them with a spooky theme hooked onto a cheap black cord at TJ Maxx~  Since I thought they were wood I decided they might be worth the asking price of $4.99.  At the very least I figured they were made of MDF Board or something.  Anyway...I put them aside (they were in a plastic bag) and forgot about them!

(I do that a lot...buy something and then forget about it!)

Well...a couple of days ago I got them out and discovered they were made of Mat Board!  Since they were black they ended up looking great with a bit of white paint and some gentle distressing.  I plan on making a sweet banner out of them for Fall...I'll share more soon!

(I would NEVER have thought of using Mat Board for something like this!)

Another GREAT FIND at TJ's were these fabulous blocks.  Wasn't crazy about the cheapo paper covering on them and apparently no one else was either!  Found three sets (all with different words) marked down to $5.00, $3.00 and $2.00 (Cherish, Dream, Love)....

It's the blocks I wanted so I hauled them home!  Scrubbed off the paper lettering with a green scrungy and a little water and now they are ready for something grand!  My plan is the decoupage some vintage music to one side and then attached wood letters to the front...not sure yet.  

Here's what they look like repainted and lightly distressed.

Sweet, huh?

Tomorrow my guy and I are going on the tag sale hunt.  He now only has six weeks left of school and we are both over the moon excited that this 18 month long journey is almost OVER...  Whoot!  Whoot!

Hope your Friday is fab...

Linking up with French Country Cottage
for Feather Your Nest Friday!
 

(((Create something WONDERFUL and then SHOW US!)))

Love to you~

~VINTAGE FRENCHY WHITE SOMETHING-OR-OTHER~

 I found this neat old contraption the other day!  It was gold (pretty corroded!) and in my opinion almost ready for the trash!  Anyone know what it is???  Bet you ladies that grew up in the 60's will know in an instant!

How about with the insert in the canister part?  Know what it is yet?

Here's an up-close shot!  Know now?

 Here's the base!  Pretty stand, huh?  LOVE IT!

Does this help you?

 

 Well...if you guessed a vintage Dixie Cup Holder then you would be right!  Isn't it fabulous?  I picked it up at our local thrift store a couple of weeks ago for $1.99.  I knew what it was when I found it even though I hadn't seen one in a long time!  I'm keeping this one...sure beats the one on the left, huh?

The Cup Holder was easy to transform!  Cleaned it with TSP De-Greaser and then primed it with spray primer.  Coated it with my favorite soft white paint and then antiqued it with AS dark wax!  It now sits in my powder room bath where it fits right in!

I'm totally bummed that Kathleen from Faded Charm has chosen to discontinue the super-fun link party,

White Wednesday. 

Even thought I'm disappointed I totally understand her reasoning behind her decision!  Blogging is SUPPOSE to be fun!  She is continuing her blog and that makes me happy!  White Wednesday was my favorite linky party and I will miss it!  If anyone decides to pick it up please let me know!

Hope your Thursday is fab!

Love to you...

~WILL DYING STOP THE PAIN?~

I had something else planned today to share but given the events that took place this morning in Stillwater, Oklahoma, I'm going to save my fun things for another day.

I don't feel like FUN today.

I have no idea what caused an 8th grade student to take his life in the hallway of his Junior High School just before 8AM...but something did.  Something was so horrible, so absolutely terrible in this boy's life that he no longer wanted to live.  He chose to exit this world in the most brutal of ways.

Can't help but wonder if he chose death over bullying.  I'm guessing he did.

I hope I am wrong, but I know I'm not.

The reality of life sometimes cuts in fast and deep and leaves me almost speechless.  Even though I'm not without thought I can barely make a sound.  I'm so enraged my fingers can barely type.

 I'm more than overwhelmed because I know in my heart if not for just a few different things, the child lost today could have been one of my own.

Praying for the families and the students who are hurting today.

Asking God today for strength to seek action regarding the issues that continue to destroy our children.

May God help us.  May God help us all.

Love to you...

~WHAT ARE THE CHANCES???~

Last week I showed you a sweet vintage lamp I picked up at our local thrift store.  I loved it's petite size and thought it would look really charming painted up white.  So...that's what I did!  Painted it white.  I lightly antiqued it and set my cap at finding a lampshade that would complement it's tiny frame.  That's proving to be more difficult that I first thought!

 I've looked at tons of stores (well, not really TONS, but you know!) since I found the lamp and every single shade I've seen has the newer deep-well socket.  I haven't been able to find even one that will take a lamp with a final.  I'm not giving up...I'll find something!

Anyway...yesterday my Miss K returned home after spending the weekend here at our La Chaumière de Briarwood.  On the way back to her house we stopped off at a thrift store about 25 miles from my home.  We walked straight to the lamp area and wouldn't you know it,  NO LAMPSHADES!  Because I was looking for shades and NOT LAMPS I almost missed an identical vintage lamp to the one I purchased last week in my town.  I couldn't believe it!!!  Are you kidding me???  The finial is missing on lamp #2 and the socket was different, but I don't care.  I was just so thrilled to find another one!  I'm still on the hunt for lampshades, only now I need two!  I think they will look really sweet with French Lace covers!!!!  That's my plan anyway!

 Friday night my Mr. AGPMan and I took our Miss K to the Oklahoma State Fair.  We had such a wonderful time!  There is nothing more fun than going to the Fair with a little kid...  We rode tons of rides and even got on the biggest Roller Coaster!  EEEEEK!

 Here we are on the Ferris Wheel.  She won that pink monkey at some side show...

 Eating PINK Cotton Candy!  I LOVE Cotton Candy...LOOOOOOVE IT!  And NOPE...it's NOT on my

Weight Watchers Maintenance Plan!

(Tooo bad!)

 Miss K is NOT happy about us wanting to take more pics!  She just wanted to roll that ball!

(I'm still eating PINK Cotton Candy!)

Miss K's tuckering out!  Here she is riding on Uncle Mikey's Back!  My daughter Adrienne and her hubby,Micah, are the BEST Auntie and Uncle around! 

They LOVE that little girl so much!

Here is MIss K with her Papa aka: Mr. AGPman! 

More Ferris Wheel fun!

On Saturday we went to Tammy's wedding and my camera quit working after only a few pics.  I managed to get a few snapshots of the table and my guy got one of my Miss K and I.  I was sooo upset when we got home and there were only a handful of photos! :(

The wedding was soooo beautiful!  I'll share what I have AFTER Ginger shares hers!

Hope you have a great week!  I'm finishing a special order for a Train Case Makeover and having so much fun!

Love to you...

~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~

Knowing the words to this song

and believing in the message
behind them changed my life...

"Jesus Loves Me...."

Love to you...

~CELEBRATING WITH A GRATEFUL HEART~

 A HUGE THANK YOU

TO MY

HANDSOME SON

BRANDON KENT

FOR ALL THE CODE-WORK DONE

ON MY WEBSITE.

HE'S WORKED BEHIND THE SCENES ON TECHIE ISSUES THAT
ONLY SOMEONE OF HIS

ENORMOUS SKILL AND INTELLIGENCE 

COULD FIGURE OUT!  I'VE GOT ONE AMAZING SON...

SMART, HANDSOME, GIVING, GENEROUS

AND ONE THAT NEVER FAILS TO BLESS HIS 

FAMILY...ESPECIALLY HIS MOMMA!

THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME ONCE AGAIN, BRANDON!  YOU ARE AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU!

XOXO

(PS:  I'm so glad I allowed you to get that Nintendo!)

ANNIVERSARY WISHES ARE IN ORDER FOR MY

GORGEOUS DAUGHTER ADRIENNE AND HER HANDSOME HUBBY, MICAH!

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY TO YOU BOTH!

(PS:  Adrienne...you were the MOST beautiful
bride I've EVER SEEN!)

XOXO

~~*~~

Hope your Saturday was wonderful.  After another night at the Oklahoma State Fair (Friday) and an out of town wedding today and I'm one beat lady!  Off to watch a movie with my Miss K for some down time!

Love to you...

~FRENCH WHITE BASKET MAKEOVER TUTORIAL~

See the photo of the sweet basket above?  Well...today I'm going to show you how I got it to look this way!  Ready???

 A couple of months ago while helping my momma
move to her new place she gave me this

UGLY BASKET! 

I'm sure it was gifted to her and probably came full of some sort of bath goods!  My mother knows I'm not one to throw anything out.  Even if I hate something I'll generally donate it before opting to go the landfill route!

Anyway...as I said she gifted me with the basket and since that day it's sat on my "I-MIGHT-DO-SHELF" waiting for a turn at a makeover!

Today I'm showing you how she was transformed.  Betcha it's going to make you think twice before you toss out something equally as crummy!
REMEMBER...THINK OUTSIDE THE BASKET!

I started by giving the basket a sloppy coating of dark wax by Annie Sloan and then wiping off the excess so it only settled into the grooves.  Basket was previously painted white!

While the wax was drying I started the lining makeover...

 I cut the purple check lining down the seems and added 1/2" to make up for the fabric that was cut away.  Instead of serging my seams I used a French Seam (blind seam) for the inside.

I made the new lining for the basket out of a natural white linen and opted to added vintage crochet lace and tattered ruffles (un-hemmed) to the the sides.

I sewed all the pieces together paying close attention to how the original one had been assembled.  Along the top edge of the new liner I turned it down about 1/4", placed the crochet lace on the underneath side and top stitched it in place.

Next I made two gathered ruffles to fit the length of each side of the basket.  The ruffles were then stitched in place just above the stop stitching for the crochet lace.  I wanted the lace to show underneath so the ruffles aren't too deep.

Next in line was making new ties for the ends.  The original purple checked ties were wimpy and short so I tripled the length of them and made them about 1 1/4" wide (before folding in half).

 I top stitched the ties together and then lightly frayed the edges before stitching them onto the liner at the end.

Here they are all tied up!

 Ruffle and lace side view!

 After the lining was assembled and tied onto the basket, vintage millinery flowers were added to one side, loops of ruched up rayon ribbon and a bit of vintage bling!

 Here's a close-up!

 And here she is again!  The final reveal!

Destined for the TRASH this sweet little basket was given new life.  Perfect for a bath or vanity or even sweet filled up with gourmet soup and cornbread mix for a fabulous Fall treat for a good friend.

Hope you days is wonderful!  My Mr. AGPMan and I are going BACK to the Fair with Miss K and tomorrow we are all attending the wedding of Tammy from Tammy's Heart.  Busy weekend and we even get to dress up!  HOW FUN!

Love to you...

~VINTAGE WHITE BOOTH & A LAMP MAKEOVER~

Yesterday afternoon my Mr. AGPMan and I went down to my booth space at Edmond Antiques for some redo work.  I really don't need him to help me spruce up my area, but I do need his brawn once in awhile when big things sell and other things need to be moved in~

HE BE THE MAN! :)

Furniture continues to flow in and out!  I've sold a lot of pillows and painted items but it's the larger pieces like chests, dressers, desks, etc., that seem to be the best sellers.  I'll know more after Christmas.  The desk you see above was in my guest room for years and in our daughter's room for years before that.  With all the work going on in our home I just don't have room for it anymore...

 Brought in a few cottage rose floral pillow in to spice things up!  No matter how much white I love there is nothing better than a soft and squishy feather pillow to soften things up!  The sagey green one above is an old Jay Yang print.  Perfect for a porch or sun room...even in the fall.

 I've hoarded this vintage Laura Ashley fabric for far too long!  The time finally came for me to use some of it for a couple of pink rose feather pillows....  LOVE THIS FABRIC!

This cottage rose pillow was made using an old Raymond Waits fabric.  Soft grayish-blue ground with lush pink roses!  If the ground on this fabric was soft white I'm telling you I'd NEVER have let it go!

After I left my little shoppe I stopped off at my favorite thrift store before coming home.  Found this darling, darling, DARLING vintage lamp with wood accents.

Snagged it for $5.99!  Today I worked at transforming it for my booth or maybe my website.  Not sure...might put it on eBay, too!  Anyway...right now I'm searching for a petite little shade to fit it.  It's got to be one with a finial crown and NOT the kind available in the stores today.  They all have the deep well brackets and that won't work.  So...back to the thrift store I go!

Here's a sneak peak at where I am on it today!  It's ready for some sort of French style artwork and a lace-trimmed shade....I'm on the hunt!  More soon.  Can't wait to show you the final result.

Don't forget about my GIVEAWAY going on right now!  Click HERE to read more about it!

Hope you're having a happy day...

Love to you...