The Downtown Farmhouse

I’m positioned at my usual place on Sunday mornings. It’s called the Hope Connections Desk or Guest Services. My people, my tribe  know where to find me. My small group always stops and says hi. My teenage girls stop to chat. 

This day in particular includes a conversation about a first date. Not just a first date with this person but a very first date.

It was a movie date and hands were held.

So I ask “what does that mean? Are you dating?”

And she replies “I’m not sure but it’s ok, we are figuring it out.”

“You know, Charma, I’ve never had a boyfriend and I’ve never had my first kiss?”

I reply “are you excited about your first kiss?” 

“Yes, but I want it to be special and mean something. I don’t want for it to happen just so I can say it happened.” 

I don’t know many 17 year olds  that can be confident in their dating choices. To stand firm and know what they want and how they want it. 

As our conversation progressed, it made me  think about the things in life that are important enough to wait on. To not rush and to not just do it to check it off the list. 

Is there a friend that you need to call? Someone that you keep saying you want to talk to but you don’t take the time?

Is there a relationship that is in need of repair and you need to take the first step. Even if it “wasn’t your fault?” 

Do you need to PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN?

Do you need to step out of your comfort zone? 

Have you had a “what if” moment but didn’t act on it?

There are always going to be big moments in your lives. Don’t let them pass by with just a check mark ✅ 

I’m as proud of this young woman as her parents must be and I did tell her I was going to blog about her. 

She smiled. 

You all know I’m all about taking something and turning it into something else. 

My bestie needed a cover for her electrical box.

Kind of long.

Kind of skinny.

I told her I would check out the hoard and see if there was any options. 

I found an old picture. I thought it might be an option but it was not exactly the dimensions she gave me.

It will work!!

A picture though?? No way. 

I knew I was holding on to this old picture for a reason. I’m not even sure where it came from. And while I searched through the hoard, I found another option for me. Two for the price of one!! $0. Even better.

Here is her “before” picture 

And here is mine. Mine needed a few repairs before a transformation could be performed 

My frame was repaired and the picture was turned around to face the back so that the smooth part faced out

Her picture was sanded to create a smooth surface. It would have been too hard to turn her picture around. 

Both frames and pictures for painted black and each picture was coated with chalkboard paint. It took 3 coats to cover completely.

I painted each frame white, distressed slightly and waxed with dark wax.

Here is her “better than new” chalkboard that now covers the unsightly electrical box 

And mine? 

It sits patiently waiting to be hung right next to the super cute powder room and the red screen door. 

Never underestimate what something can be.

Just because it’s ugly, doesn’t mean it always has to be. It’s like plastic surgery:)

This is going to be the next project for “girls with power tools.” Save your old pictures. 

Happy Friday friends. 

Uncle Kyle gave Baby Blueberry Boy his rocking chair. It was originally purchased in Amish country when Kyle was a baby, I can’t for the life of me find an original picture. Close your eyes and picture a yellowish gold stained pine wood little rocking chair with a heart cut out of the back. 

Courtney, Justin and Kyle all like to read. I mean really read. So you can imagine the library this baby already has. 

His Mommy has already placed her favorites in the bookshelf made by great grandpa. Have you ever heard of the Wild Life Fact Files? Large binders full of all kinds of animals with all their facts. Courtney carried these books with her through most of her elementary school years. 

In the car? Yes

On vacation? Yes 

In her room? Yes 

Now they wait for baby to enjoy them too.

Back to the chair

Here was my inspiration picture 

Cute huh?

Here is my version 

Even baby boy has a cute closet

Ok we are ready for you❤️
Love,

BB 

Big deal.

I’ve painted a lot of chairs.

NO WAIT!! I painted the upholstery of a chair!!!!!!

This one! This chair!

My sweet friend called me over a year ago and said his mom was getting rid of this rocking chair. It went way back in the family but there was no room for it. Did I want it? Yes of course.

At the time, there was not even a baby blueberry in the picture but now? This baby is headed up to the nursery today.

But not before it got a little makeover. 

I could have recovered the upholstery but that takes a lot of time and more money than I wanted to spend. It’s also hard work and I want to spend my time elsewhere.

I had always wanted to try painting the upholstery on something and never had the opportunity. Well the opportunity showed itself. Let’s paint a chair.

You tube after You tube videos were watched. 

What kind of paint?

What’s the process? 

Oh my word. Just do it already.

Here’s the cast of characters :

1 mixed up version of chalk paint using Naval Blue from the nursery.

1 spray bottle of water.

A sanding block 

Liquid wax. I found at Wal-Mart

Spray the upholstery till wet. Yes wet. Every section must be sprayed wet before painting.

You aren’t really painting the upholstery, you are staining it using the paint. 

Dip your brush in the paint and smear it on. Sometimes you will need to rub the brush around to get the paint into the weave of the fabric.

Here is the chair after painting the first coat. It covered pretty good. 

Here is coat #2. 

Still a little transparent but it’s getting there. I like that the flower detail in the fabric design is still showing through.

I repeated 4 times. 

When it was completely dry. I put a fan on it so it would dry faster, I grabbed a low grit sanding block and sanded the upholstery.

Why you ask?

The upholstery felt a little crunchy.

The sanding block took away the crunchiness and left the upholstery feeling more like outdoor fabric. A little stiffer than normal but not too bad.

The last step was to was to wax the upholstery. It gave the fabric a little sheen and made it super smooth.

She’s done. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t feel like velvet but it does have a water repellent feel to it. I’m thinking it might come in handy while rocking a baby. Lots of liquids. You get my drift. 

I love the bones of this old chair.

I’m not touching the wood. Just a little polish and she’s good to go. 

I love that this old rocking chair will continue it’s story in our nursery. It wil rock babies. Yes it will, and very soon,

Much love,

Charma 

I lead a relatively simple life. 

Not a lot of fluff. 

Sometimes not a lot of excitement.

Often mundane and I  like it like way.

I like boring. 

I like to be at home with the same people doing the same thing.

It’s been a lot of staying home this past week. It’s been a tough week watching those I love the most suffer. Nothing to do but wait. Wait for a pill to work. Wait for a fever to subside. Wait.

Tonight I had a very difficult conversation with friends. They live in tough times and are having to make hard decisions. It’s hard to be the parent of a teenager and it’s also hard to be a teenager. Without obstacles to hurdle, it’s still hard.

I came home from 1440 student ministry to a hot meal and I retreated to the porch to try and get a handle on my emotions. Hoping for a more “normal” week.

After dinner I grabbed the water hose to water newly planted bushes and to take care of dads prize blackberry and tomato plants.

It’s the simple things. 

It’s the blackberry bushes given to Dad by a sweet friend that are blooming and producing. To pick one and give it to Dad. To watch him smile, makes me smile.  It’s the simple things.

To water  tomato plants, that were found while pulling weeds. Watching the baby tomatoes thrive. It’s the simple things.

Knowing that in a few days we will welcome a life into our family. Being  able to watch this family as they grow and prepare. My heart……oh my heart. 

Even when times are hard, I will look forward to the simple things.

Have a blessed week my friends. 

You will find me on Sunday mornings, either behind the piano or at the Hope Connections Desk/Guest Services at Church of Hope. 

Before and during the 9:00 gathering you will find two of the best ladies! Lana and Pat. Consistent ,faithful and fun. I’ll check in with them and tell them any information they might need to know to pass on to our guests at Church of Hope. We are friends so there are always catch up on life moments as well. 

Pat mentioned that she had recently been at her high school reunion and proceeded to tell a story.

Pat and Tommy met in high school and Pat was a basketball player. She played in 10th and 11th grades. Tommy gave Pat an engagement ring and her basketball coach said that she could either play basketball in her 12th grade year or she can wear her ring.

She chose the ring.

I scrolled through their Facebook until I found how many years they have been married. 57 years and she is still choosing Tommy.

Who are you choosing before everything else?

In these days of careers and electronics, it’s easy to put everything else first because your “person” will always be there. But will they? 

I tell myself daily and I fail daily. 

People are more important than things. It sounds so incredibly shallow that I have to say it out loud but it’s easy to get trapped in the things that need to be done.

Pick the ring.

I have specifics that roll around in my silly little head. 

I see pictures of the clothes I should wear the next day.

I see dinners that should be prepared.

But the biggest? Home decor. Good grief its like a circus up in my head. So many pictures and ideas. It’s just plain ridiculous.

I’ve been havin lots of thoughts on parlor curtains. Pinterest supplies the pictures from my brain. Way to go Pinterest! 

I wanted poofy

I wanted old fashioned but fresh

I did not want to cover the wood work 

I want these!

Pinterest supplies the pictures 

The pictures supply the sources 

Who supplies the cash for the custom made beauties?

Mom! Help!

Me: “Hey Mom, can you make these?”

Mom:  “Well I think so” 

So she dreams and frets and worries about how to make this happen.

I dream and figure out how to get all the supplies she needs so that she can make this happen. Cause Mom ain’t sleeping until the project is done.

Curtain panels from Lowes to the rescue. They were the perfect color and texture. $13 a panel x 5 not too shabby.

How to make them poofy?

Well that’s just skill and complete patience. I watched Mom sit at my table for days hand sewing the panels to make pure perfect poofiness. 

Add vintage lace  to the bottom and SHA-BAM 

My picture takin skills need a lot of work but you can still seee the poofy perfection. And my piano? No words – the joy.

Today?

I’m painting upholstery! 

Make it a great day friends 

Big windows ya’ll. 

Not wide, but tall.

This girl has $0 budget for custom window treatments however custom is what I got. 

It’s not what you think. 

I didn’t pay big bucks for someone else to make curtains to fit my ginormous windows, they were made “in-house.”

First off, enjoy Fender. He refused to move. 

These windows are in the dining room. There are 5 in this room and I wanted them to all match.

IKEA curtains to the rescue. $9.99 for two panels. What???!!!

Thank you IKEA again for the curtain rods. $6.00 per window and the wooden blinds, $12.00 at Lowes. 

So the problem was, the curtains were not long enough. Well, they would have been but I insisted the rod be hung high. Yes….insisted. 11′ ceilings require high curtain rods. It’s a fact.

What is a girl to do?

Add fabric to the bottom. Nothing fancy. Perfect length. Just a little pooling on the floor. 

Perfect window treatment for $25. 

Who says you have to spend a lot of money? It’s not an option when there are many many many windows just like this to cover. 

Too bad IKEA is so far away.  Maybe not too bad……..

Another “custom” curtain post coming tomorrow. 

Love,

The girl heading upstairs to paint window trim. 

I lead a blessed life. There is no doubt about that. However this post is about the others.

Steve loves the rock band Boston. Always has. Always will. Boston tours every summer and if at all possible, he wants to go. Sometimes I go with him and sometimes he will take one of the kids or a friend.

This year, the tickets  were bought and we decided to make a weekend of it. 

We live in a house full of others. This allows us to go as needed. Whether it be for business or pleasure. The house is looked after and JR is cared for. This blessing of others makes it very easy to go. 

The concert was Thursday evening in St Augustine. Thursday night is small group night. My co-host graciously hosted and led small group. Having others in your life that you can count on makes all the difference. I do not like to miss small group but sometimes it’s necessary. The others in my group are not just acquaintances, they are my family. 

We arrived in St Augustine and checked into our hotel. There was not much time before we left for the venue so we walked next door to KFC for dinner. Standing at the counter after we ordered a woman walked in. I couldn’t help but hear her ask about the prices of a meal. She didn’t have enough money and it was obvious that she couldn’t just run to the bank and get some. I opened my wallet and laid out the amount she needed. No fuss. So grateful to have excess. Our food arrives and we sat down with our dinner.

We were almost finished when she arrived at our table and laid the change in front of me. She said with a smile “thank you, but they didn’t need everything you gave me.”  Then she bent down and hugged me.  The change I didn’t care about but the hug said thank you for seeing me

We made it to the venue. It was a beautiful night.  Our seats were 2 on the end of a row. Steve always wants to sit in the end. I don’t know why????? He’s only 6’6″. Maybe leg room. Maybe he hates blocking peoples views. No matter…..he sits on the end.

A gentlemen comes and sits next to me. He is alone. As usual, we start a coversation.

He lives  outside of Tallahassee. It took him 3 hours to get to the concert. He has seen Boston in concert 15 times. 

He is a Vietnam Vet. He served two tours in the war and was a Seabea. I nodded like I knew what a Seabea was and then went straight to Wickipedia. A Seabee is a member of the United States Navy construction battalions. Steve shook his hand and thanked. Him for his service. He spoke of his daughters and his love for his country. What a gift it was to sit next to him. We laughed and sang songs together all night. 

​
Today we get to sit and admire the beautiful ocean. No plans. 

Maybe read a little

Maybe take a walk 

A nap?

Dinner and an early night in. 

Maybe sounds boring to some but to me, it’s perfect. Maybe we will meet some others today too.

Be blessed friends. 

When I’m working on a project. It’s usually pretty quiet. 

Time to think

Time to dream

Time to pray

Time to listen to the parrot that lives next door named Synbad. He calls the dog and yells hello frequently 

Time to sing.  Thank you Jason for “turn it up” Sunday. It has been on repeat ever since. 

Sometimes it’s time to reflect on recent coversations. Like one I had this past weekend. It was a difficult conversation. My friend is toubled and I can do absolutely nothing about it but to listen, be a good  friend and pray. 

Today I prayed while working on this beauty. It is my first commissioned piece since we moved to the old house. My previous neighbor contacted me about this unique piece that used to hold hymnals in a church. A church member had built it and it was in great shape but the finish was looking pretty bad and it was in need of a facelift. You know my weakness for a piece with a story and I wanted super bad to paint this beauty but the owner wanted it to remain stained so her wish I granted.

My least favorite thing is to strip off old stain. It’s dirty and slimy. The “new and improved” strippers that say it won’t burn your skin are worthless. If it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t work. So it’s brush it on, spatter it on your skin, complain a little, scrape off the goo. 

Wash – Rinse – Repeat.

As I scrape and guide the goo into a container. An old song pops into my head. It still uses Thee and Thine for goodness sake but look at the words. 

It’s a prayer to my friend 

It’s a prayer for me.

 As I take the old stain off, sometimes it’s stinky and gooey just like something’s in life. But then I am the potter and put things back together just like the Heavenly Father can put us back together. I’ll wait, yielded and still. 

If you don’t know the song, it might not even appeal to your taste in music but when something enters my brain, it’s not a coincidence. It’s for a purpose.

Let it sink in today. 

I’m just going to be sitting in the yard, working in my project  listening to the chickens next door. Yes I live in the city.

Have a blessed day.

Have Thine own way, Lord!          Have Thine own way.                     Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will,                                                    While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord!          Have Thine own way!                             Search me and try me, Master, today!                                               Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,                                                As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord!         Have Thine own way!          Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!                                                    Power, all power, surely is Thine!        Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord!        Have Thine own way!                     Hold o’er my being absolute sway!        Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me.