A T T H E P A R K ' S

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18:2 God is my refuge and my strength.  No matter what I go through, God is faithful FOREVER .  In this world, people let you down.  They don't keep their promises.  They say one thing and do another. My father always used to say, "say what you mean and mean what you say." Unlike us, God keeps His promises.  Read it again.  God keeps His promises!   Isn't that amazing?  We can trust Him.  Not only can we trust in Him, but we can trust Him. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future....

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about the Pottery Barn Bedroom collection?  And how I said my hubby would build me the set? BEDSIDE TABLES : DONE ...from SCRATCH!!!  I showed him a picture, he did some measurements, bought some wood, stained and voila ! The only part of the whole process we (he) can't take credit for is the lacquering.  We had to get that hired out since we don't have a lacquer gun amongst our tools!  Photo on the left is from Pottery Barn and photo on the right is built by the hubby!!!  :) I love the molding on top and the four paneled drawers! He even designed the pull out breadboard! Next step :  Find stylish yet affordable and matching lamps for the beautiful bedside tables! We found them HERE !

Say hello to our dog Hannah! She is our lovable golden retriever/lab puppy mix we got about a year and a half ago.  We got her when she was just a year and a half and we have really been enjoying her!  She loves people, no, she LOVES people...almost to a fault!  And she licks...everything...all the time.  We joke that she can't hold her licker.  When we give her a bone to chew she cries for an hour or longer (because she can't bury it in the house) and then starts playing with it like a cat: pouncing on it and flinging it up in the air.  She is the funniest dog and is miss high-energy!  We still have a lot of training to do, but we're slowly getting there on our own.  Check out these two videos.  Both are within the first month or so of getting her. Excuse the backyard...this was just a few months after we moved into the house.   Notice how we're trying to be quiet because Daddy is sleeping on the...

The idea behind the Home Management Notebook is that you have a quick reference for important items as well as to-do lists, etc.  I have had a few "notebooks" but more like a lot of lists hanging around for some time now but nothing actually put together and organized.  This idea to organize came from Simple Mom and I am really enjoying it.  I tailored some of her tabs to fit with my needs.  Last weekend I hit up Target and found this super cute 3-ring binder! I am already using a lot of lists so I simply consolidated them and placed them in different sections. These are the tabs I need for my quick reference: Emergency Information Cleaning List (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Annually, Annually) College Group (Contact List, Activities, Menu) Projects (Current/Future Projects and Ideas) Gift Ideas Budget Birthday (Calendar list of Birthdays) The birthday calendar will be a big help for me.  I love sending cards and notes to friends...

This is the first furniture project my husband completed for our new (new to us) house! My hubby knows that I like love Pottery Barn and that I wait every month for the new catalog to arrive in the mailbox.  However our current budget cannot support my expensive taste. We have company over a lot: our INSTE group, (on a weekly basis, more about that later), and our church college group (twice a month).  I wanted a place where people could sit down and take their shoes off as well as have a storage for the shoes, purses, etc. Samantha Entryway Bench | Pottery Barn So, my hubby offered to build it for me! Here is the final project in our "entryway" The basket in the middle cubby I purchased from Target for $20 and it fits PERFECTLY!!!  Thank You Lord! Isn't it just beautiful??? Now, I must sew a pillow for the seat!  Deciding on fabrics... Save Save Save Save

It seems like this DIY project has been on every single blog this spring!  It is all the rage so, I had to try it too!   Pottery Barn ($79.00 really?)   But, oh so pretty! Supplies:  Wooden Monogram  Hot Glue Gun  Green Paper (to be glued on the back of the monogram to hide the wood if you decide to hang in front of a mirror)  Ribbon in case you decide to hang it!  I didn't cut the paper as well as I should have, but it would only matter if you are hanging the monogram on a mirror where you'd see the back of it.

The Nester inspired me to create my first DIY project:  The Coffee Filter Wreath I am not the first, nor will I be the last to create such a show stopping wreath like these below. Nesting Place Jones Design Company The Little Brown House Supplies you will need:  Hot Glue Gun  Large Coffee Filters  Ribbon to hang wreath  Burlap fabric I decided to wrap the burlap fabric over my wreath and then hot glue the folded coffee filters.  You can practice folding the filters in different ways to get different looks.  This project was under $10.00 and took a few hours (The Nester spent about an hour on the project).