Word Wednesday!

I'm going to start something new!  Starting on Wednesdays I'm going to start "Word Wednesday".  I probably won't do it every week, but every so often I will be posting something having to do with the Word of God - either something I'm studying or something that's been on my heart! 

This is the first sign I made.  It's been in a frame in my bathroom and on my desk area for about a week now.  I read it throughout my day and it's just a reminder to take a minute and choose to trust Him.  I want this engrained so much in my head and heart that when hard times come I can immediately say, "Yes, Lord I trust you".  Even if that means waiting...

The Dining Room So Far!

I'm starting to take one room at a time to tackle the new house!  I thought I would share a few pics from the dining room so far.

I am such a bargain shopper.  I love shopping but it's so much better when you know you got things for a steal!  Here is a breakdown of the dining accessories and the cost!

One of my favorite places to shop is from thrift stores.  Even better when you're in a small town!  The prices there are usually so much better than in the city.  I found these awesome vases for .25 cents each!!  When I unpacked them I took the price tag off and had to look a second time to make sure I didn't misread the tag!  I waited until the flowers were 50% off from Hobby Lobby. 

I found the candlesticks for .75 cents each!  Such a steal.  I spent a little more on the candles so I could get a package.  I figured I would actually use them if I knew I had package!

I absolutely LOVE these pillows!  They were originally $39!!  I got them for $9.95 on clearance.  I love having pillows on the chairs in the dining room.  It just makes it look more inviting and cozy!

Marshall's is one of my newest fav places to shop!  We moved right down the street from one and I am loving it!  I found these great lamps there for $29/each!  You can read more about the red mirror here.

This tray was originally $29 from Target.  I got it on clearance for $7.99!  I was ecstatic about that purchase! :) 

I found these frames from Marshall's for $9.99/each.  I went back and forth on artwork and found the Pattern Pieces series over at Sprik Space.  Check her out she is amazing!!

You can read more about the jute pear here.  It's still one of my favs!

We are so blessed to have had the curtains, table, antique dresser (buffet table) and antique chairs passed down from various family members. A HUGE thank you to all of you for helping to make our house a home.  And another big thanks to my parents who will be giving us their old dining room chairs!

Grand Total for all furniture and accessories $178.42!!!  Woo hoo!!  I love everything about this room, especially since it didn't break the bank!!

You Have Not Because You Ask Not

This morning was a running late, burnt eggs, clothes dirty before we even left the house kind of morning.  It was quickly turning into "one of those days".  I knew I had a busy day filled with dentist appointments, grocery shopping and lots of errands.  I got in the car and prayed, "Lord, I'm worn out and it's not even 9AM".  He responded, (not audibly, but in a very clear way), "It's okay... I'm not".  "Okay Lord I'm running on your strength today..."

And I did.  By this afternoon I was feeling somewhat superhuman with everything I had accomplished -- with a smile on my face nonetheless.  A complete 180 from the morning I'd had.  There was most definitely some divine intervention involved.  And although my day was filled with fairly insignificant things (in the grand scheme of things) He was there.  And if He cares about the little things like dentist appointments and grocery shopping, how much more does He care about the big things in our lives.

James 4:2 teaches that we have not because we ask not.  So often I stress over things that I have not even gone to the Lord in prayer about.  The bible says we are to boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), believing that we will receive what we ask (Matthew 21:22).  "God is not offended by our request for supernatural intervention" Beth Moore, Believing God.

But what happens when we ask and we don't feel any divine intervention?  I've definitely been there.  Prayed about something believing completely.  And I waited... and waited... and for some things I am still waiting.  Beth Moore taught me something that absolutely changed my walk entirely.  Through her bible study "Believing God" I learned to trust the Lord completely.  Period.  I trust Him when he answers "Yes".  I trust Him when He answers "No". I trust Him in the good and I trust Him through the bad.  I trust Him completely.  Period.  You see when we pray trusting Him completely we remove any contingency's put on our faith.  We trust that His plans are ALWAYS to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11).  So when we pray and he does answer "No", we trust that His plans are always better than our wildest dreams (Ephesians 3:20).

I was reminded today that so often I face difficult days on my own simply because I haven't asked the Lord for His strength to get me through.

And reminded of the power even a simple prayer makes...

Red Dining Room Mirror

I am doing a lot of unpacking right now, but the hubby and I took a break to conquer a small project!

My mom had a lovely gold mirror that she graciously donated to our project.  I've heard that gold is making a comeback, but I decided the dining room needed a little bit of a bolder color!

The first thing we (actually handy hubby) did was tape and cover the mirror.  He's so awesome.  :)

All taped and ready for painting!

We primed...

And then painted it red with a satin finish spray paint.

I also purchased two lamps from Marshall's for $29/each!  Can't beat that!

Now for some other accessories...  I really like this planter box from Shanty 2 Chic.  Maybe in white??

Also, a big thanks to Whitney at Shanty for the red inspiration with her red photo wall.  Love!

I also really like this flower box from Thrifty Decor Chick:

But for now I am just enjoying the pop of color in the dining room!

Paint - Before and Afters

Painting is done!!  I can't believe how different the house looks!  I absolutely love the colors.  You can read more about the colors we chose and the inspiration here.

I wish I had true before and afters.  The before pics were done with a wide lens camera, but you get the idea!

Here is the before of the entry/dining area:

After - Behr River Rock 730E-3 and Behr Castle Path 730C-3:

Before Dining Room:

And After - Behr River Rock 730E-3:

Before Living Room:

And After - Behr Castle Path 730C-3:

One thing we did in Handy Hubby's office is update the moulding around the top.

They had already done the hard part for us - all we did was paint in between to give the illusion of really thick moulding!

I want to do this around some of our baseboards!  House of Smith's has a great tutorial for chunkier baseboards.

Here is a close up!

Also a quick painting tip!

Handy Hubby picked one of these up at the store.  I thought it was a waste of money... until I tried it.  I will never paint without this thing!  We did not tape one wall.  Let me repeat that - NO TAPING!  I meant to take a picture of one of the lines.  It is crisper than with taping and saves SO much time!  This product is well worth the money!  You do have to buy the refills. We found it best to replace with a refill after every room or two but definitely worth it for all the time you save and how easy it is to use!  Genius!

Paint Colors!

Source: houzz.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

Paint is definitely on my list of favorite things!  I love how it can completely transform a space.

I found this picture on Houzz and loved it!  I wanted the majority of the house to be this color.  It's the perfect greige!  I found the closest thing I could to this color - Behr Castle Path 730C-3.

Source: google.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

For the Dining Room I wanted to do something light and airy.  I love blues and reds together.

Source: houzz.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

My inspiration for the dining room was this picture I found on Houzz.  I chose Behr River Rock 730E-3.

Source: google.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

I've always had chocolate brown in our Master, but wanted to do something totally different!

Source: homegoods.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

I chose to go with yellow and grey!  We are going with Behr Gray Timberwolf 760E-3. 

Source: thedesignfile.net via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

For the Master Bath I wanted a smoky blue color.

Source: roomzaar.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

I love this bathroom, but it's a littler darker than what I wanted.

Source: thealligatorbox.blogspot.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

Love this one too!  I found a good mix between the two with a little more of a blue tone Behr Blue Fox 540E-3.

Source: homedepot.com via Life's Sweeter on Pinterest

I am a big fan of Behr paint and primer in one.  Typically with paint colors I have been told to buy one to two shades lighter than what you want it to be on the wall.  However, since Behr's base is white I've been told to go one shade darker.  That's what I did with all of these colors.  We painted the main part of the house today and it was the perfect shade!  Yay!