Take A Look At 2014

This year seems like it went by at lightening speed. Wow! 2015! Can you believe it?

I thought it would be fun to share what my personal favorites were and what the top 5 popular posts were.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Love Is The Most Powerful Gift

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! It was absolutely awesome having my kids home! Hubby was even home for the week!  We had lots of fun family time, good laughs, and way too much food!

The Lord is good. I'm so thankful for all of the blessings in my life.  I have so much to appreciate.

This is the last Fashion Over 40 for the year....

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Believe!

Well, I'm about as happy as a mom can get! I have both kiddos home for Christmas!  My son just drove in the other night.  There's just something about having your children home, I guess it becomes more special when you are an empty nester and those times become fewer and farther between. :)

Here is our Christmas Card for 2014.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Where Do We Go From Here?

Well, hello, there!! It has been such a fun week! I sooo enjoy spending time with my daughter, chatting, decorating, baking and shopping. Then on Saturday, Hubby and I went to his work's Christmas Party. 

This week's Fashion Over 40 is what I wore to the Christmas Party.... and then I wore it to church. What? Don't y'all ever do that? Come on... of course you do!

Making Handmade Ornaments Is EASY!

I had so much fun making handmade ornaments this year! I had most of the supplies on hand. I love the way my entry tree came out.  I need more ornaments, but remember I'm trying to keep the mentality that "less is more!".

How to make a Dollar Tree Wreath Look Great!

I have been so busy crafting and setting up Christmas that I haven't shared one thing with y'all. Well, now is the time! You actually got a sneak peak yesterday, if you caught My Fashion Over 40 ~ I Am Spoiled.

The sweet little wreaths looked like this in the beginning... not very sweet, kinda scrawny and ugly.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ I Am Spoiled

Yes, I am spoiled.  I'm going to have to say that most of America is.  We have so much and we don't even realize it.  Instead, we complain, take our privileges and freedoms for granted. And right now there is this Christmas shopping frenzy going on and its all about more, more, more!

Guess what? Today's outfit has nothing new in it! :)

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Having Spiritual Authority

This week's Fashion over 40 has only one new item. Can you guess what it is?

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Leaving and Legacy

I'm so happy right now!  Both my children are here! Granted they are both working, which I don't care, because they're actually HERE!! :) My daughter is busy on college graduation projects and my son is working from "home" on some techy computer system java "stuff".

Yesterday, was a big day, our Pastor's last Sunday. Yeah, kinda emotional, but it was a very good day!

Little Change, BIG Impact! {Painting The Garage Door}

Now that the holidays are around the corner, I don't know think I'll be investing a lot of time into "big" projects.  This little change only took a bit of time, but the impact was huge! You might remember this door from our Garage Update.

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Bake

As you know I am getting very excited about Thanksgiving, because Hubs and I will have BOTH our kids home! In fact they are going to be here the entire week of Thanksgiving! 10 more days!

I have been making this dish for over 20 years, it's a staple at every holiday meal.  It is that good! Over the years, I've cut down on the sugar and butter and every bite is still just as good!

My Fashion Over 40 ~ The Faithfulness Of God Is Perfect!

I think I'm finally getting over this 'kickin' my butt' head cold! Ugh! Thank the Lord, I don't get sick very often. I even worked out this morning. :) I just haven't had the energy this past week. I also haven't been sleeping well since getting sick and I feel like it shows.

Mini Gallery Wall Shelves

Let's just say I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the this project. But I knew I had to just do it! I have tons of stuff, but is it the right stuff and will this stuff all look good together.  I want it to look pretty like all those magazine  and Pinterest pictures. Yeah... I'm whining. :P
Here's the before.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Stay Strong In The Faith

Well, today is Hubs birthday!  A quick shout out to my sweet man, Happy Birthday! This is us a couple of weeks ago visiting our daughter at Liberty University. Love this man!

IKEA BESTÅ Hack Complete! ~ Part 2

OMG! The difference in my living room is phenomenal!

My Fashion Over 40 ~ The Nature Of God

What a weekend! Had a great visit with my daughter,  found out my nephew and his wife are having another baby girl, and finished up a project in the living room!! :) If your curious about the project you'll have to wait, but in case you don't know what I'm talking about you can check out what I was working on HERE.

Remember, I told you I found some new brown boots!!? Here they are! So comfortable and what a deal! Just under $20!

IKEA BESTÅ Hack ~ Part 1 {Never Skip The Prep Work!}

Okay, wall is painted.  Shelves are painted. I can check those things off my list!  They look so much better!

TV Wall Is Getting an Overhaul

I've been a little busy bee lately...  Let me share what I've been working on.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ Being A Healthy Christian

Yeah, I'm a little behind... Usually this post goes out on Monday. We had a little getaway. It was Family Fall Weekend down at my daughter's college, Liberty University.  She's graduating in December and we wanted to go down for the last one...  :)

It was so good to see her and her boyfriend! And we had a great weekend!  Here's a few pics!

My Fashion Over 40 ~ A Time Of Transition...

Yesterday was a different kind of day....  It started off pretty normal. But God had other plans.

All My Paint Is Organized!

When I say that I had paint and paint supplies all over the basement, garage and house...I'm not kidding. As much as I love being organized, I can be so unorganized it's overwhelming!  But I've gathered all paint and supplies into this mess.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ How Great Is Our God!

Today's outfit is a new favorite!  Of course, it must be including jeans, right? How'd you guess?

DIY Outdoor Real Looking Pumpkins

I can not believe how great these turned out!  They were so cheap they were practically free, because I had almost all of the materials here at home.  The only things I purchased was the outdoor polyurethane spray and one package of grapevine garland.

My Fashion Over 40 ~ God Isn't Looking For Perfect People

Hello!

Fall has definitely fallen here in beautiful central Pennsylvania. This is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves are all turning colors and it's simply breathtaking!

So, I've begun to embrace the fall season. I fought it long enough. I've got my hoodie on and we've officially turned the heat on.  This past Sunday, it was a bit chilly.

$1 Cereal Box Drawer Organizer ~ Vanity Drawer

This is part of Project Organization 2014.... I can't believe it's already October!  I had big plans to organize A LOT more.  It might just keep running into 2015.  :)
At least I took care of this HOT MESS!

Fashion Over 40 ~ Placemat Purse Organizer

This is a combo post... Hubby and I were away this weekend and we were traveling home on Sunday.... So, this is me... how I normally dress. I've told you before, I'm a jeans, t-shirt, flip flop kinda gal.

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ How's Your Thinking?

I can't believe we are already into fall now. I'm still kinda fighting it... You'll see what I mean in my outfit for today. 

Dining Room Chairs Turned Out Perfect!

These chairs turned out WAY better than I thought they would.  Hubs and I weren't sure what color to paint them and you should have seen how we went back and forth on the color and pattern on the seat covers. Who would think that little ole dining chairs could cause such a ruckus?? But we nailed it!!

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ Gettin A Little Chilly

I've been fighting fall. I really enjoyed summer, and I kinda didn't want to let go. But there's no use fighting it, it's coming whether I like it or not.  So, I caved.....  I started bringing up my fall decor and I started a fall craft. :)

This Sunday, it was a bit chilly, so I broke out the jeans.... and a sweater!

Refinishing My Ugly Dining Table

Today is September 11th.  A day to reflect and remember all those that were lost in the terrorist attack in New York City. What a sad horrible day that was. I will never forget.  Lord, bless all those that are still dealing with the struggles that day brought to our nation. I pray we never forget all the sacrifices men and women made that day.

I had my doubts whether I should share this today, but I wrote it a couple of days ago and I simply couldn't wait one more day to share my beautiful table. Was redoing my dining table worth it? Not a shadow of doubt!  One of the best things I could have done! I have to say the only words that could express how I feel... I LOVE IT!!!!

Let me take you back to where I left you, a couple of weeks ago. Yes, it took me that long to complete! We were in the priming stage.

Before I get going here, if you want to see how I got to this stage and see all the glorious chemical stripping, then click HERE.

I used my paint sprayer and put on two light coats. Then I brought it in.  I wasn't too happy with the results.  You could see the spray lines for each pass I made.  No, I didn't take pictures.... So, I decided to take a try at rolling it. I even added Floetrol.

But this is what it looked like after the first coat.... I was having serious doubts!

I left the picture a bit darker so you could see what I'm talking about! Really?  This "Floetrol" was supposed to work magic!  No roller or brush marks.... Well, that's not what I was getting! Ugh! I thought I put enough in. Well.  Let's try coat number 2 and see what happens.  It got a bit better and I saw that I needed to be generous with the paint and roll in one direction.

That seemed to be the ticket.  By the 3rd coat this is what it looked like.

Look at that smoothness.  Using a foam roller does leave a bit of an orange peely look, but I think it turned out really smooth and even.  Also, I didn't feel confident enough to brush the whole table surface. I really really didn't want brush strokes.  So, it was finished and then it sat and sat. Yes, I was curing it.  But it really didn't need a whole week to cure.  I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to put on the table top. Plain ole white was not going to be enough for me.  Here were some ideas we were tossing around.

(Source)

Unfortunately, the only source I could find was for the pineapple table.  Anyway, we didn't go with any of these ideas.  I even came up with a few of my own.

The first two I began to think were too big and too much.  As much as I LOVE orange, it would have been too overwhelming on the dining table.  We did a bit of the last one.

Hubby picked the font and I did all the painting. We put Give Thanks in two of the corners.  I felt that was just perfect for the table.  It's where we give thanks for our food each meal.  I did a simple pencil transfer and hand painted it in.

After that was done, it felt like it needed more.  So, hubby and I decided to do the stripes down the center.

He helped me tape them off and I was off painting.

Oh my! Perfect Stripes! It was exactly what the table needed. I finished it off with 3 coats of Minwax Polycrylic.  What a beauty!!

Let's take a look at a before and after....

Wow! Yes, I need to do the chairs still but what a huge difference! In fact, I've already started them! Plus looking at fabric to update the seat cushions. In the end, yes, it was a lot of work. But come on look at the results!  It was sooo worth it! Well, I'm off to paint! :)

Update!  You can check out how the chairs came out HERE!  It's amazing!!!
Blessings,

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ Today's Culture and The Church

Well, the days of summer are almost gone....  I have this need to wear as many bright colors as possible! So here is another colorful outfit.

A Tour Through Blogland With The Stonybrook House

Leslie from Puddy's House asked me to participate in the Tour Through Blogland that is making it's rounds right now. I thought "Why not?" I'm always up for a little fun! Ready. Set. Go!

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ Ruling Our Own Spirit

Have you ever let your hubby pick out your clothes? Usually I'm picking out his clothes.
Have you ever experienced this dialogue?

Hubs: Hey, Hon, what do you want me to wear?
Me: Oh, I don't care.

New Project! Dining Room Table

This is a big one for me... So, needless to say, I'm a bit intimidated.  I'm going to fake complete confidence that this is going to come out fantastic! Yes!

Even though, I'm still unsure of how I plan on finishing it. Yet, I'm hopeful it will be completed by this weekend.

Here is how the room looks with the dining table before.

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ God's Love For Us

The days of summer are fading quickly. You never know how many days of flip flops and tank tops we'll have left.  So, I thought I'd wear one of my bright dresses before I ran out of summer.

Color Makes Such A Difference!!

Right before vacation, I was painting like crazy! There's nothing like having company (even if it was my kids that hadn't been home in MONTHS!) to get me motivated to finally paint the dining room and living room! It turned out sooo good!! But first let's just take a quick look at what it's looked like for the past 4 years....

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ A Bit From The Heart

Life has been a busier than usual around here. It was wonderful being on vacation and visiting with our two grown children. I miss them unbelieveably! So, today you are getting a 2 for 1.

I can't believe I've been doing (My) Fashion Over for 40 for 7 months now.  I started in February. When I started this I didn't think I would be able to find something different to wear every Sunday. Am I getting to the end of putting together anything "new"? No, I don't think so. We all pick things up now and then to revive our wardrobe and that's where mixing and matching also comes into play.  In fact, I just picked up a few items off the clearance rack at JCP with coupons! Oh! Yeah!

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ Have You Lost Your First Love?

I realize that I'm a day late... Well, that's because Hubby and I are enjoying ourselves on vacation. Plus the fact that it took me a bit to figure out the WiFi at our resort... But I did it and just wanted to take a second to get this post up.

More Progress In The Garage ~ Cabinets Are Up!

If you caught my last post on staining the cabinets (Best Gel Stain Ever!), you saw that our cabinets are up and on the wall.  Happy Dance! Yay! Finally, there is a light at the end of this!

(My) Fashion Over 40 ~ Intentional Living

This week has been busy and beautiful!  The weather here in Pennsylvania has been exceptional.  It definitely doesn't seem like we are at the end of July.  Usually, it would be a hot sticky mess....But it has been 70-80s and dry and gorgeous! And I am enjoying it thoroughly!! :) Anyway... Here's what I wore to church yesterday.