25 Things in Pics

Sometimes life is hard.  Even when things are hard I know God has blessed me tremendously. 
 It helps to remind myself of the things that make me happy.

Here are 25 of them :

1.  Brotherly love.  These two warm my heart.  They talk, they laugh, they love, they fight, they forgive.  They are such a beautiful example to me.

 2.  Paint colors.  Oh, how to describe the feeling of walking into the paint store and seeing all those colors!  My fingers trace over each one while my mind is reeling with the endless possibilities!

 3.  The infinite love of my Savior.  The most tender feelings of my heart overwhelm me as I think of His eternal sacrifice.  I am so grateful for His mercy.

4.  A 4" heel.  A peep-toe.  Coral.  Need I say more?

5.  Reese's.  There is no way I could EVER turn down a peanut butter cup.  Bless the soul who combined the perfect amount of milk chocolate and sugary peanut butter!  I will eat them in a box. I will eat them with a fox.  I will eat them in a house.  I will eat them with a mouse. I will eat them here and there.  Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!

6.  A crocus peeking through the snow.  The first sign that spring is knocking at the door.  These pretty little flowers just do my heart good. 

7.  A little girly girl who loves to fish, wrestle with her brothers, and spend time with her dad.  There is one lucky boy out there who will get to call this sweet little thing his girl someday!

8.  A white bed.  Is there anything more enticing than a comfy bed with white linens?  Oh, this picture just makes me want to snuggle up!

9.  My guy.  Seriously, if you wrote a fairy tell with a prince charming this guy would fit the bill perfectly.  (I might be a little biased, but I don't think so!)  He's thoughtful, kind, generous, forgiving, funny, smart, handy, a good dad, and handsome!  What girl could ask for anything more??!

10.  A good book.  Yes please!  I can read for hours--until my eyes feel like they are going to fall right out of my head.  Love a good story!

11.  Melting snow.  I live in Wisconsin.  Why do I live in Wisconsin?  It seems like we have 8 months of winter.  I love the sun and being warm, so I'm sure you can imagine my extreme pleasure in seeing all that nasty white stuff melt away!  

12.  Sweet puppy faces.  We lost our dog this year and it was hard on the whole family.  We also adopted two sweet little girls that have filled our hearts again.  Tell me they aren't cute!

13.  The home of the brave.  It makes me happy to live in a country where I have the power to choose.

14.  Orange juice and bacon.  There is just something about the combo that I love (the ol' salty and sweet?).  Yum!!

15.   A good hair color.  Love this one.  Kinda wish I had her face, too. ;)

16.  Music.  All kinds of music.  A good beat, a sweet tone, a great melody...they all get me.

17.  Coconut.  I love the way it smells.  I love the way it tastes.  I love that something so tender can be encased in something so tough.

18.  Hydrangeas.  A new love of mine.  I'm not really sure why.  They just make me happy and I can't get enough of them!

19.  Quiet.  I get tired of all the noise all the time.  I don't need to play the radio or have the t.v. on.  I like to hear nothing.  This world gets too busy and I often think of Psalms 46:10--"Be still and know that I am God."

20.  A french manicure.  I hardly ever get one, but when I do I can't stop smiling (or looking at my hands!)

20.  Fresca.  It's bubbly and sweet and Oh. My. Gosh. It has no calories!

21.  French graphics/typography.  Ooh la la.  I just can't resist.

22.  A good furniture makeover.  C'mon, you knew that was coming!  I adore them.  Something old and ready for the trash becomes reloved and treasured once again!  This image is from Art Is Beauty.  You can totally see where I'm coming from, right?!?

23.  Clocks.  I have a not so secret now clock fetish.  I adore all shapes and sizes, and the more details the better.

24.  A comment or message.  Love hearing from you. :)  I hate the phone so texting (or comments on my blog) is perfect for me. 

25.  The snooze button.  I used to be a great morning person.  I'm finding that's not so true anymore!  4:45 every morning is a killer!!

Hope you can reflect on your many blessings and find peace in the things that make you happy. 

<3 Lisa

Millie

I told you I had a post a day this week, but sometimes life happens and plans change.  I do have a post, but it's not of furniture!

This post is about Millie.  Millie is our black lab.  

Just look at that face!  :)  

Last Monday Millie was diagnosed with cancer.  She had a lump the size of a small fist in her mammary gland.  We took her in on Wednesday for her scheduled surgery.  Before he started the vet found another tumor the size of a baseball.  He informed us that if he opened her up he was afraid she would be full of tumors and there would be nothing he could do.  She was 13 years old and we knew she hadn't been feeling well.  We made the hardest choice and decided to put her to sleep.

We stayed at the vet with her and I held her in my arms while he gave her the shots.  It was heart wrenching to say good-bye to our companion of 10 yrs.  Craig and I both cried and had a hard time leaving her.  She was such a loving dog.  After we said our good-byes we knew we would have to go home and tell our kids that she didn't make it.  There are no words to express how gut wrenchingly hard it is to tell your children that someone they loved dearly is gone.  

Needless to say, there were many tears.  It took a few days to process that she was really gone and we all felt the house was so lonely without her.  We knew the question was coming---when can we get a new dog?!

They started asking and were relentless!  It was time for another big choice.  We talked about it as a family, prayed about it, and told the kids if the right opportunity came we would take it.

Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways.  We found an ad for these sweet little things and did some more talking.

We went to meet them and couldn't resist those sweet little faces.  They came home with us.  Both of them!!  

What have we done?!?!  I don't know, but I'm sure this is the beginning of a brand new adventure for us!  

So, I would like to introduce you to the newest members of the Hoffman household.  Molly and Bella!

 Bella

 Molly

 I think we are already too much for them!

Some happy kiddos!

No dog will ever replace Millie.  She has a special place in our hearts and we will miss her so much, but  we are excited to welcome these two little ladies in our home and hope they will help heal our hearts.

Good-bye to a "good ol dog".  We will see you at the Rainbow Bridge!

25 Reasons Why I Love What I Do!

While the boys were out hunting today Ania and I stopped for a treat. While we were waiting she said, "Mom, what is your most favorite thing about your job?" I thought it was a sweet question and it made me think. 

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and my "job"
 here are

25 things

 I love about what I do. :)

I love:

1. Finding something other people think is ugly and knowing there's potential for it to be beautiful again. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, right?

2. The feel of a medium grit sanding block under my fingertips.

3. The way really old finish just flakes right off when you barely touch it with the sandpaper.

4. How chalky the primer feels--it's like touching baby powder.

5. That little drop in my stomach every time I take that first swipe of paint across bare wood (like that little feeling you get when you crest the top of a hill too fast and drop on the other side), and when I take that first swipe of taking the paint off!

6. The way white paint over dark wood looks when it is distressed.  Gets me every time! 

7. Distressing! <3 <3 <3!!!!

8. The expectation someone has when they drop of their furniture and are so excited at what it will look like when it's done.

9. The way my furniture room smells.

10. The moment I put the last piece of hardware back on and step back to see what it looks like done.

11. When someone comes in and squeals or claps their hands when they see their piece finished. I really do love this--it's contagious. :)

12. The way certain paint smells. My boys love to give me a hard time about this! They warn me about huffing. ;) lol

13. Running my hand across the top of a piece after the last coat of poly dries. It seriously feels like glass and I love that!

14. The sheen that buffing a waxed piece leaves (I always say it looks "softer" than poly--I guess you have to see it to know what I'm talking about).

15. That I have time to think and ponder about anything and everything when I'm working in my shop and it's quiet. Someone asked me once why I don't listen to music while I'm in there. I love the quiet! I can't find that anywhere else.

16. When I find a dent or scratch in a wood top and wonder how it got there.

17. When I find something in a drawer. One time I found a note from over 20 years ago that a girl had written to her best friend during class. I LOVE that! Every piece is a little piece of history and has some story to tell.

18. When I can sand ugly stains out of drawer or out of a top. It just reminds me that our imperfections can be erased also (through a loving Savior).

19. When I have an "aha!" moment--painting has taught me some great lessons.

20. That, if I choose, I can do anything I want with a piece of furniture. I can make it look like what I see in my head, and even if no one else likes it, it is my license to create something unique to me.

21. When people cry because they are happy with what I've done. This always touches me so deeply because, whether it's right or wrong, we have emotional attachments to things, especially when they've belonged to someone we love.

22. That I can get dirty. :)

23. A beautiful turned leg!

24. When someone tells me a story about a piece of furniture I'm buying. It almost never fails that they will tell me where it's been, who's refinished it before, and why they have to get rid of it.

25. Trying something new. It doesn't always work out, but I always learn something and at least I know I've tried!

26. This one's for Craig!--Getting to see my hubby when I'm working. ;)

I truly am so grateful for my many blessings and that a loving Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself.  I am so lucky to do what I love and love what I do! 

And here is a lamp shade I finished today! :)

Linked up here:

1st Anniversary and God's Hand

It's officially been a year since I've started this furniture adventure!
Woo hoo!!

  I've had so much fun learning a new skill, but I can honestly say this has been more of a journey about self-discovery than anything else. 

I believe God gives us all gifts and talents and we have the opportunity to waste them or to develop them.  Our talents are different but compliment each other.  We help each other to learn and to grow and we inspire one another, hopefully to be better and to do better.  

I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to create, almost every day, things I think are beautiful.  But, this picture reminded me that God is the Master Creator.  The works of His hands are evident around us every day.   And, personally, I don't think anything compares to the work of the Master's hand!

These last two years have been hard ones for me, and for my family.  I've lost people I love and have had to rediscover me.  I've questioned a lot of things lately, but have always come back to knowing that God lives.  I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who knows me and has directed me to find something He knows helps me feel fulfilled and just makes me happy.  I truly do believe in the tender mercies of the Lord.   

To all of you who have been so supportive, who have encouraged and given so many kind words, I give you a heartfelt 'Thank You!!!'.  This has been a vehicle for me to meet so many wonderful people.  What a blessing!  

My heart is full this morning and I'm going to enjoy this beautiful day with my family!  Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!

 

A buffet and another lesson learned

I love doing furniture.  Really.  I also love the lessons I've learned along the way.

A few days ago a very good friend of mine (more like family) said she had a buffet from her parent's house she wanted me to paint.  She asked if she could drop it off in the shop (she has access because she happens to by my husband's business partner's wife) and I said, of course.  So, the next day I open the door to my shop and there is this absolutely gorgeous buffet sitting there.  I literally did a small intake of breath and then was so stinking excited (some of you will understand that feeling :) )!!   I asked her what she wanted me to do with it and she said she would send me some pics.  She did, I looked, and told her I could do that.  Well, about half way through the process I realized I couldn't make it look like the picture.  I would be lying if I said panic didn't set in.  I thought I had ruined it or would have to strip it down and start all over (and still not know how to make it look like the picture!).  I backed away from it, put my sanding block down, and left the shop (I did not cry!).  I stewed about it all that night, didn't sleep much, decided I would call her in the morning and tell her I lied to her, and then prayed that Heavenly Father would help me know how to fix it.  I did call her the next morning and asked her to come to the shop to tell me what she thought.  She looked, we decided what to do, and  I finished it.  Now, it does NOT look anything like the picture, but it is beautiful and she loves it. 

What did I learn?  Sometimes we have an idea in our head what our lives should look like.  We make plans, set goals, have a "vision" for the future.  We get excited and get to work trying to make those dreams become reality.  But then, somewhere in the middle of it all, we realize that life isn't quite shaping out the way our "picture" looked (ok, you know the saying, "%@#! happens.").   Some of you are good at just rolling with the punches, but for some of us panic sets in (mid-life crisis anyone?)!  Sometimes all we have to do is step back, ask for help from the One who knows exactly what we need, and realize that 

just because it doesn't look like the picture doesn't mean it can't be beautiful.  

Here's a little sneak peek....

and it's got legs!!  

25 Things

So, I have been running like crazy for the last two weeks which is why I am complaining about creepers breaking into my house and leaving their dirty laundry for me and why my kids have eaten macaroni and cheese, Little Ceasars, and Ramen all in the same week (I know, I'm a terrible mom). But tonight I actually have about 45 minutes before I have to go again and I saw a cute post on a blog I like, so I thought I would do my own (mostly because it was about random thoughts and I have a ton of those!).

25 Things

1. I've listened to Hallelujah by these 4 Norwegian guys about 25 times this week and would listen to it 25 more if my kids didn't think I was off my rocker.

2. I know I have been complaining about laundry lately, but I do 2 loads a day, every day, and yesterday I did 4 loads, left the house, came home, and the basket was full again. What gives??

3. Tonight I went to Little Ceasars (because I have 10 teenage boys at my house and they're hungry and it's cheap!) and when she asked me what I wanted I said 5 pepperoni pizzas and she gives me a crazy look and says, "Five!?!?!" I looked around and said, "Um, yeah. I'm hungry."

4. O.k, I didn't really say that, but I wanted to.

5. I didn't say that because I DON'T always say what I'm thinking....just so you know.

6. People wouldn't like me very much if I always said what I was thinking.

7. I vacuum a lot.

8. I'm usually covered in dust (from sanding!) and I wonder what people think of me when I go out in public like that....because I do...a lot.

9. I just painted my bedroom and want to repaint it already. That's kind of messed up.

10. People have started rubbing their furniture because of me. That's kind of messed up.

11. I like it though. ;)

12. Those ten boys I was telling you about were all in the living room and then went upstairs and there was a random sock lying on the floor. I wondered whose it was and if they realized they weren't wearing a sock.

13. I got up at 4:30 this morning, went to take a shower, realized it was 4:30, and was excited cuz I got to go back to bed for another hour.

14. I think I have adult onset ADD

15. I love to sing in the car. I'm a terrible singer.

16. Some days I'm emotional, realize I'm emotional, and can't seem to help it. That's messed up. The joys of being a girl.

17. My apologies to those who suffer because of it. Really.

18. I passed the ice cream section at the store tonight and didn't buy ANOTHER pint of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream.

19. Because I've already eaten 10.

20. Yup, 10.

21. My pants still fit.

22. I have the best friends who say the nicest things. ♥ you all!

23. Craig is shaving is head in the kitchen right now and I'm wondering if he will vacuum when he's done. (see #7)

24. I'm reading the same book as Hunter now, and loving it.

25. Two day ago Craig was looking up his name on a certain website and left my laptop open when he was done.  When I found it I saw a list of Craig Hoffmans and two of them were Craig D Hoffman.  I asked him, "Is one of these you??"  He gave me a weird look and said, "How long have you known me?" (We've been married for 15 years.)  I stood in the bedroom for a minute, wondering why he asked me that, until I remembered his middle name is Kent.  Scary!!