Joy in the common things...

My new book " One Thousand Gifts"  by Ann Voskamp arrived the other day.  I have also been on her website again and it is worth a visit.....I have to go back to hear the rest of her interview that she had explaining how she wrote One Thousand Gifts.  She challenges you to start making a list, a journal of things that  you are thankful for.  That gratitude and praise in the common things help you to see how truly blessed one is and that is a reason for JOY.

So I have started my list, in a pretty journal that my dear friend, Erin, gave me.

1. Evening walks on our land
2. The smell of rain
3. A hard working husband
4. Lilac bushes blooming in white, deep purple and light purple
5. A God who knows me by name.

What are you thankful for as we start a new season of this year?

We have the sweetest neigbhours, C and her husband D.  They have 2 adorable little girls that call me Auntie and CnD are great friends to my niece.  They were there for her through the toughest time in her life as her young husband was taken from this earth too early, they were there for her two little boys and they are still there for M as she has remarried and is excited about life again.  This simple bouquet was for C as she helped me last minute with getting some details done for Darrell's 50th birthday party!....Thank you ... Thank you!

"God give me hope for each day that springs,

God give me joy in the common things!"

Thomas Curtis Clark

We have lots of great places around the yard to set up picnics and tables to enjoy eating outside.

I have always admired the pictures of long harvest tables set up with friends and family around them.

We celebrated Darrell's 50th with the Medicine Hat Motz's, that had to be indoors as the wind was blowing like a hurricane that night.

We celebrated again with our small group from church, and the evening was beautiful as we enjoyed eating outdoors!

Linking up to Tablescape Thursday :

May 25, 1963  A pretty good day!  

Happy Birthday!!

Some new favorite things

I was able to get to Ikea, HomeSense and an antique store over the past few weeks.  Ikea and HomeSense are my favorite and to add an antique store in there where I actually found something was a bonus!

My favorite find at the antique store was this cheese crate.  I like it even more because it was used for Canadian cheese!!  I have it displayed in our entry with a few other crocks and things...

Isn't she a beauty!

My other 2 favorite things are from HomeSense.  The cute little white crate with "Flowers" on it was on ly $9.99.  Add a few "fake" plants from Ikea or a few fresh flowers from the garden and I like it!!

Two looks for the price of one...English or French

Flowers from my yard,,,,

These little pots with the sayings and grasses will look nice at the BnB perhaps..

Well ya gotta have faith....

I better get going outside, it is another beautiful evening and I have some plants to deadhead...

Maybe a bike ride down the lane would be a great way to end the day as well.

Hope you are all having a great week end.

Linking up to Decor to Adore

Have a happy Sunday...lilac loveliness

"Creation is the canvas on which God has painted His character."

From Our Daily Bread Devotional

I am thankful for God's character of Love

Grace

Forgiveness

Power

What are you thankful for today?

oh..almost forgot...LILACS!!

One of my Favorites!

Shabby Chic "before and after"

Things have been a little busy here...it is Grad Week!!  I can't believe that  Ben will be walking across the stage for his high school diploma on Friday!  Yikes!  Where has the time gone!  There has been lots of clean up and organizing going on in the country!!   The BnB will be filled with family, and last minute I decided to finally clean up Kaleb's old room.  You know how the room is not being used,but yet it turns into the dumping ground for everything you don't know what to do with.  Well, Jami will be getting the "spare room" this week end, so I wanted to give it a mini face lift!


I am doing my mini makeover with mini cost!!   Today, I will show you the before and after window frame project that I thought of.  This old frame was tucked away under the eaves in the BnB, and while hunting around for the bed rails I needed I had an idea!  I purchased the butterfly prints at HomeSense and thought, "why not use the window frame as the "frame" around my picture.....hope you like it as much as I do!

Before:

Almost forgot to take the before picture...

After:...some shabby "country" chic

The grey color of the walls is perfect for the "mat" around the picture.

The canvas picture was a little too thick for the frame to go over it, but Darrell trimmed it down with the table saw (his best purchase ever, he says!!) and then the window frame could just hang overtop of the butterfly print.

So, there you have it!  I really like it and I think there is another frame up there yet, waiting to be recycled and brought back to life!!  I have a spot in my dining room, now to find the perfect set of pictures for it.  Have a great day everyone, I will post more of the after pictures later.

I will link this to :

Show n Tell Wednesday 

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Thanks for stopping by That Country Place!