June 2017

Book Review- The Shack

BOOK REVIEW- THE SHACK

I have a long list of to-be-read books that I keep filed away in my brain. A very long list. I have been looking for one in particular that’s been on my list a while: The Shack. I looked at thrift stores and Goodwill stores for a very long time, but I never was able to find it. (I think I know why I wasn’t able to find it; it’s a hard one to let go of.) So when I first moved back to Alabama and visited the Goodwill and actually found it, I was very excited. But true to form, I was already in the middle of another book, so I decided to put The Shack on my shelf until I could get around to it.

Then Came the Movie

I knew I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie and had big plans to quickly read it once summer started so I could head to the theater. That didn’t happen. I started the book, was pretty captivated by the story, and had every intention to finish it quickly. But when a book is deep or super thought-provoking, sometimes I get intimidated, so I set it aside for a few weeks. When I picked it back up, I finished it in two days.

Here Comes the Religion

Okay, not really religion. 🙂 But I do want to tell you why this book made such an impact on me.

The main character, Mack, is dealing with The Great Sadness that has descended on him after the disappearance of his child. He receives a letter from “Papa” (God) in his mailbox asking him to meet him at the shack, which is the scene of the crime. He ultimately decides to go to the shack and there he does indeed meet Papa. But he doesn’t just meet Papa; he meets the entire trinity in the form of actual people. Jesus is there and so is the Holy Spirit. The way Paul Young writes them is what really peaked my interest. Papa is a black woman, Jesus is a middle-eastern looking man, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) is an Asian woman.

Here’s why this is so interesting to me: God was exactly what, who, and how Mack needed to see and get to know Him. It was eluded to in the book that sometimes “religion” is sort of formal, and that God really just loves His children and wants them to love Him too.

Now, I also want to say with a very loud voice- THIS IS NOT THE BE ALL/END ALL BOOK ABOUT GOD!!!! Please go to your Bible for the most true version of God and for the most inspiring stories about God and all of His wonders and promises and goodness. I’ve never gleaned more truth, inspiration, and information about God as I have from the Bible.

With that said, The Shack is an outside of the religion-box way to look at a relationship with God. And that right there, relationship, was the biggest thing I took away from this book. I like this quote by Jesus from the book:

“Because we want you to join us in the circle of relationship. I don’t want slaves to my will; I want brothers and sisters who will share life with me.”

I just loved that. And it is reinforced throughout the story. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, they want to be a part of our lives. They want us to include them in everything we do. Because whether we remember it or not, they’re always there. Why not have a relationship with the one who created you, the one who died for you, and the one who guides you on your path of life?

I think that’s what I walked away with-a bit of a challenge- to not forget to keep the lines of communication open at all times with God. Remember that old hymn that goes, “and He walks with me, and He talks with me”? He’s always there, why not talk to Him? As a result, in your personal daily walk with God, you find yourself thinking about Him more. Your thoughts become His thoughts. You start to want to do things that would be pleasing to God.

The other thing that really stood out to me about the story was that everyone’s relationship with God is unique. We are all in different stages of life, have different spiritual maturity levels, have different backgrounds and life circumstances. This is what makes our relationship with God so unique. My story will not be like yours, but I promise that my God is also your God. We may talk to Him differently; we may go to different churches; we may read different adaptations of the Bible. But God is God, and He loves you, and He loves me, and He just wants you to love Him too. Your life will be so much better if you do.

So, if you’re interested, I encourage you to read the book. It is such a beautiful story of one man’s journey through a very great sadness and the relationship he develops with God as this terrible situation is redeemed. And if you’re not a reader (shame on you), 🙂 then you need to watch the movie! It was expertly cast and follows the main theme of the book perfectly. It was very well done. It’s available at the public library here in Greenville for free with your library card!

If you’re interested in more information about the movie or book, please visit the website. It is a great resource to find out more about this story.

If you’ve read this book and would like to discuss it with me in the comments, please do. I loved it so much! It definitely went on the list of my favorite books. If you’ve not read it, I really encourage you to. You won’t be disappointed.

Porch Update

PORCH UPDATE

Before school was over in May, I posted a Before post on our back porch. I had all of these wonderful plans set in motion to really update it and make it an awesome place to hang out this summer.

Before

It was a hot mess (still is). I have done a bit of cleaning and rearranging, but we still aren’t finished yet.

I bought this beautiful black and white striped umbrella that I just knew was going to look amazing and fit our umbrella frame that we already own. Well….That was a big ol’ no. I spent $50.00 on the umbrella thinking it would fit our frame, then I thought I might as well just buy the new frame and stand, but that was $50.00 more, and I just didn’t want to spend that much. I can do better than that. (Just so you know, I’m still looking.)

Then, in my rearranging and cleaning process I was moving our water hose out of the way and found this! Yep, that’s a snake skin. Now I’m paranoid about snakes being coiled up along with the hose. But to look on the bright side-at least it was just the skin and not an actual snake. Pretty sure I’d have told Paul to start packing because we were moving.

Progress

Basically I’ve rearranged the furniture. I put the table in the middle and the bar cart off to the side.

Yes my dead ferns are still sitting there. When my niece was staying with me one afternoon, she wanted to go outside. Well, she took one look at my ferns and said, “Oh, we need to water your plants.” 🙂 Bless her heart!

I don’t have a pretty pot for my Zinnias yet, which aren’t doing so well. My mother-in-law is an amazing gardener. She just has that green thumb that I was not blessed with. She planted the colorful flowers in the terracotta pot on the cart and gave me the zinnias on the table. She said to water them and talk to them. I do both, but I don’t think they like what I have to say.

My pineapple rug got so dirty from all the rain and water runoff. 🙁

So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Maybe by the fall, when the weather gets nicer, it’ll be ready for some al fresco dinners and entertaining. Until then, I’ll enjoy the air conditioning and searching for a cheaper umbrella (preferably one that will fit my existing frame) and keep my eye out for more slithery friends. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any striped umbrellas that are cheaper than $100. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great one!

Recent Home Updates

RECENT HOME UPDATES

After I completed my leopard living room curtains, I kept feeling the itch to check more things off of my summer to-do list. I decided to start with the kitchen curtains.

Breaking Out the Sewing Machine

For these curtains you’ll remember that I was planning to use this fabric.

Waverly Sun-n-Shade fabric “Seeing Spots”

I am not very well-versed in the use of a sewing machine, but I got one for Christmas a few years back and busted it out for this project. I have to read the directions every time I get it out, and sometimes I have to search a YouTube video or two. I thought I was ready to go so I took my picture expecting my next one to be of something complete. And then something just didn’t seem to be going right and here’s what I managed to accomplish: Oh boy…..

So, I regrouped, reread my instruction guide, and tried again. I also put my camera away at this point and decided to just focus.

New Curtains

I sewed the curtains, hung them on a tension rod and hated them. They were gathering like Granny’s old kitchen curtains, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the gather at all. My original plan was to hang them from hooks like I did the leopard curtains, but I did not like the look I was getting. The fabric, to me, looked better when it was flat. I decided to cut them to fit the width of the window and hung them on small tension rods. They just add a little bit of accessory to the white kitchen. I have enjoyed having them up. And enjoyed even more that I didn’t have to ask my mom to make them for me. 🙂 She was probably glad too.

I just love this fabric, and I recently saw it in black as upholstery on a chair. It was beautiful. The above picture doesn’t do it justice. My camera and editing skills are not up to par at all, but you get the general idea. I think it’s better than the before that you can see below.

Another Rug Switcheroo

I also switched a few more rugs around this week. You can see in the picture above the old orange rug I’ve had for way too long. It doesn’t really “go” anymore and, honestly, needed to be retired.

I think I have enough room for a runner along this stretch of cabinets, but I just can’t pull the trigger so quickly on rugs/runners. Plus, “shopping” my house is much easier on the pocketbook, so that’s exactly what I did.

If you remember my first post that shows the entry foyer to our building you’ll see that I had a rug at our door. Since we don’t use this door much anymore, I decided I would bring this rug inside and put it at the back door. I took the rug I was using at the back door and put it in front of the sink to replace the old orange one.

Not a major transformation, but something different to enjoy. Always shop your house first! You’d be surprised at what you actually have that works in new ways and in new places.

I Tried to Better the Painting

A few posts ago I showed you an abstract painting that I did to go in our dining space. But if you remember, I didn’t love it. So I decided to add a bit of gold brush strokes around the edges to help it look a bit more like it was “framed”. I didn’t want it to be perfect like I was trying to actually frame it, but I just kept thinking it needed something. I am still deciding if I like the changes. I like it better than before, but I’m still not sure if I love it.

BeforeAfterLike I said, I don’t know if I love it, but I definitely like it better than before.

Anyone else crafting or having fun playing in your homes this summer? Share them with me in the comments.

Sometimes I think something as simple as switching a piece of furniture with another from a different room or rearranging your bedroom furniture is just as much fun as a full on room overhaul/makeover. I encourage you to do that! Especially for your kids. I was always asking to rearrange my furniture when I was little. Putting my bed on a different wall or in a corner. It gets your creative juices flowing and inspires you to make your home a place you truly love. And bonus to you moms who find it keeps your little ones occupied in their rooms while you get some downtime. 🙂

As always, my point here on this blog is to encourage you to make your house a home, a place that you loved to be, a space to express your creativity, and a safe haven for you to be yourself and make mistakes along the way. That’s part of the fun. Lord knows I’m making plenty of them, especially in the way of decorating, but I’m definitely having fun doing it.

Thursday Thoughts- Movie Reviews

MOVIE REVIEWS

Welcome back to Thursday Thoughts. I should welcome myself back; I haven’t written a TT post in a while. One thing I have done is watch a lot of movies, and I wanted to share my thoughts on two of them.

La La Land

I remember reading something when this movie was coming to theaters by Tom Hanks that said this is what movies are all about. Someone else told me it was so beautiful and would change your life.

Then, I never made it to the theaters to see it. (womp womp)

I knew that seeing this movie was going on my summer to-do list. So when I stumbled across it at our local library, I picked it up and decided I would watch it that night since Paul was at poker night. (He’s not so much into the musicals.)

It immediately made you feel like you were watching an old movie just because of the way it was shot. The opening musical number set the tone for the film in that there were several song and dance sequences. All were beautiful, and all of them sucked you right into the story and swallowed you whole. I tend to get very lost in musicals. I get caught up in the emotion and the talent and the feeling. There’s nothing like that feeling. It was truly a moving film and deserved every award and nomination it received.

Ryan Gossling and Emma Stone have so much chemistry together on screen. People have compared them to Fred and Ginger and Bergman and Bogart. Theirs is a believable romance and relationship. There is a scene when they go to the movies, and it is the very beginning of their relationship. They are stealing glances at each other and inching their fingers closer and closer until they are holding hands. It so accurately depicts that new, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling you get when you’re about to enter that territory with someone new that you really like. I was smiling the whole time from the nostalgia that crept up inside because you know you’ve been there too. Those early, excited feelings with your significant other. That thrill it is to touch their skin in such an intimate yet innocent way for the first time. Like I said, they’ve got chemistry.

I can’t end this review without talking about the music. The songs are beautiful. Ryan Gossling and Emma Stone have great voices and then they threw in John Legend. So…yeah…winner in my book! And it’s not just the singing that is great, but there’s some amazing piano music, mostly jazz, that is all throughout the movie. Gossling plays a jazz pianist trying to make it, and the piano playing is a huge part of the movie.

I realize musicals are not for everyone. But I feel that even if it’s not really your speed that you’ll enjoy it. It’s definitely not something being done regularly in Hollywood, and I love that.

Hidden Figures

I realize I’m much too late to this party, but this was one movie I will not soon forget. I was left completely moved by this film.

These three women were looked over time and time again. They were the best at what they did, so unbelievably smart, witty, strong, and determined. I knew a little about the story just from all of the publicity it got when it came out and during awards season, but I didn’t know everything. I have to say I was truly inspired by this story, by all three women, and by the portrayal of these women by the actresses who played them: Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, and Taraji P. Henson.

One of my favorite things about the movie was the backstory they told on all the women. Mary Jackson, played by Janelle Monae, was such a spitfire! There’s a scene where she puts her husband in his place at a church picnic, and I laughed out loud at her assertiveness and how he closed his mouth so fast. And she stayed like that the whole movie. I loved her outspokenness and her determination to never give up and to get into a course she needed even when it wasn’t geared toward women and certainly not African American women. She was smart and capable, and she knew it.

Dorothy Vaughn, played by Octavia Spencer, was a genius. She got the IBM computer for the space mission up and running correctly and effectively and was later put in charge of that. Another victory for women and African American women. And in the movie she was portrayed as being self-taught in programming. That just blows my mind! I know we live in a digital age and it’s almost expected that each new generation be more technologically inclined, but in the 60s? I was so impressed and inspired by her drive and mental capacity. Smart girls are awesome!

Katherine Johnson was a math wiz. Taraji P. Henson played her flawlessly. She was a widow with three young daughters trying to make a living. Then she got sent up to the land of white men and had to fight her way to prove that she was worthy of that desk and that her math skills were up to par and even better than they ever expected. She played an integral part in putting John Glenn into space. She is a true roll model for girls of all ages.

I cried watching this movie. It moved me in ways that made me proud to be a woman. It broke my heart to see how they were degraded for being women and for being black. It didn’t matter that they were wearing skirts or using a “colored restroom”; they were the smartest, most capable people for the jobs at hand. And they proved themselves to be successful and perfect for their jobs. In this modern day wave of women’s liberation, it’s stories like this that make me proud to be a woman. And stories like this one that inspire me to go after what I want and not back down because I may not have the skills or be qualified. It inspires me to take the opportunity to educate myself and acquire those skills to be successful in whatever I want to do. Isn’t there a meme that says, “In a world of Kardashians be a ___________________”? Well, in a world of Kardashians, be a Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, or Mary Jackson. Because these are the women you should strive to be.

Thanks for sticking around for my long post. I get so passionate about movies and entertainment. I hope you have a fabulous rest of your week and a wonderful weekend. Hope to see you back on Sunday for more home decor projects. I’m off to work on more curtains! 🙂

Happy Thursday, y’all!

Leopard Curtains

LEOPARD CURTAINS ARE FINALLY UP

This past week I decided now was as good a time as any to start dressing my naked windows. I knew that these would most likely be the most labor intensive since I was going to have to hem them by hand. This is how that worked out before I got into the groove of stitching…

I have family members actually cringing at this photo. Haha! Anyway, I quickly realized this was not going to work, so I cut out these stitches and started again. Those stitches aren’t perfect either, but they hang by clips and hang up pretty high, so hopefully no one notices that those aren’t straight or very pretty. You can kind of see them in this picture.

Lucky for me I was able to binge watch more shows on Netflix while I was sewing. Let me just switch gears really quickly to tell you about my two, okay three, new obsessions. If you’re wondering what to watch since summer prime time television is less than desirable, here you go.

The OA

Holy crap! I can’t even begin to explain it. It starts weird and gets weirder and then in the last episode you’ll be left with chills all over your body wishing there were more than eight episodes.

Riverdale

Did you ever read Archie comics? You know, with Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica? Well, this is a dark and twisted spin on these characters. There’s been a murder in the town of Riverdale, and these four main characters just might have something to do with it. It’s really great! They even incorporated Josie and the Pussycats, and I remember watching that cartoon as a kid. The acting is amazing, and all those teen/young adult actors of the 80s and 90s (Molly Ringwald, Skeet Ulrich, and Luke Perry) are all parents in this one. It’s really very cool and very well done.

And last but not least- Gossip Girl

I know. I know. Shallow, lame, teen-geared television. This was popular when I was in college, but it is so fun. I only got into it toward the end of the series when it was being aired originally, so I am catching up and refreshing this go round. It’s a mystery as to who Gossip Girl really is, so it’s interesting to have that knowledge and watch from the beginning. Mindless entertainment, for sure, but fun.

These shows helped me through the sewing! Hope they are good suggestions for you if you’re in any summer TV slump. Any other suggestions are appreciated! Leave them in the comments!

BACK TO BUSINESS

So, after sewing and measuring and cutting and sewing some more, I finally have curtains hanging. I will say that I knew I wanted leopard print, but I wasn’t sure how it would look. As it turns out, I really like them and think they are quite fun. And why not? It makes me happy and Paul likes them too.

I like that they’re shear and don’t block out the natural light that I so love about this apartment. It’s filled with natural light all the time, and I didn’t want that to be covered up in the living room.

The curtain rod is not the original rod I was going to use. I had a smaller one that was a silver color. I knew I didn’t want silver, so I spray painted it black, hung it up on the wall, and it was too small and just didn’t work. Luckily, I didn’t get rid of my old curtain rods, so I tried this one, and it worked! (Sometimes it pays to keep things.)

I also like how it pairs with the rug. I think that since both are neutral colors that they don’t compete with one another. And again, they make me happy. That’s what’s important when it comes to decorating your home.

Jack wouldn’t move out of the shot, so I just told him to sit. At least he’s obedient.

Thanks for stopping by today. What are your thoughts on leopard print curtains or anything leopard print for that matter? I’m kind of in love with it and hope to one day have a leopard rug and, of course, a few leopard throw pillows. 🙂 Let me know in the comments. I hope y’all have a great week!

New(ish) Rug

Hi, friends! Remember those summertime projects I said I had planned in my last post? Well, I got started on them. I showed this picture and was very excited to get this all started, but the more I thought about these curtains in my living room the more I began to second guess myself. I am all for mixing patterns, and I love bold fabrics paired with even bolder fabrics, but I couldn’t seem to make the leopard print work with this rug. I just felt like it was too much. The rug is huge and so are the windows, so there’s going to be a lot of fabric up there. And I just wasn’t feeling too good about it. CRAP!

But Wait….I Think I May Have A Solution!

In our Louisiana house I was dipping my toes into the rug world for the first time, and I went with this one.(Forgive the screenshot; I didn’t have an actual picture on my phone or computer.)I don’t remember where I found it. I think somewhere online like Overstock or Wayfair. But after learning more about the “rules” (that don’t really matter, y’all) to certain areas of home decor, I decided it was time for a bigger rug for our pretty-large living room. Enter the blue ikat rug that allowed my furniture to “float” like it’s supposed to. (It did look better, so that’s one rule I did decide to follow.)

Then We Moved

I moved in to this apartment naturally wanting to use the blue rug, so I just put it down in the pretty-much 8×10 living space and placed all of my furniture on top of it. (Side note: You know, I don’t know all the rules, nor do I really care about them, but I probably shouldn’t have done that. I’m guessing it didn’t adhere to the “rule”. Oh well…whatcha gonna do?)

Then The Light Bulb Turned On

So one day this week I was reading The Magnolia Story that I mentioned on Instagram. And I don’t know if I was just feeling inspired or what, but out of no where I thought, “Your blue rug does not fit in your living room, but you still have that old one, and you should totally try it because those leopard curtains are going to look way better with that rug.”

Ha! I was so happy! I could keep the curtains and not spend any money on a new rug!! That’s a win/win in my book.

Because all of my furniture sits completely on top of the rug and doesn’t just “float” on top of it, I knew I’d have to enlist some help to lift the furniture and pull the rug at the same time. Paul happened to be in a golf tournament this weekend, so my parents came to help me out. Those two were the biggest help! I definitely couldn’t have done it without them! They even vacuumed and helped me shake out the blue rug and roll it up and reset my furniture, and so much more. Thanks, Mom and Dad! You’re the best!

The New(ish) Results

Don’t look too hard back there at my stack of dishes.

So here’s where those rules come back in. Not one piece of furniture floats on this rug. BUT, I feel like the space is brighter and is definitely a better fit for those leopard curtains.

I like it, and ultimately, that’s all that matters. And just to affirm my decision, when Paul came home, he immediately said how much better he thought everything looked. 🙂 Score one for me. So, rules or no rules, I think this is a better fit, and I’m happy with the outcome.

Even Jack And Bernie Approve

I can’t wait to get the rest of this project (the curtains) going so that I can be one step closer to an actual complete area in our home. Have a great week everyone!