"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." - Isaiah 32:18

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Spring Is Here And Music Upstairs

Spring has officially arrived!


And a lot has been going on out here at the farmhouse!

We are enjoying getting back out in our yard to work on our flower beds.

Micah just planted two more rose bushes last night...

(Here's one of them up in the front yard.)

I am head over heels for roses in a farmhouse garden!

To me it is a fairytale come true!

We have some beautifully established roses that like to strut their stuff...

See what I mean?

(This is from last summer.)

But I am never satisfied.

I always beg and pester Micah to plant MORE!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"We lose ourselves in things we love. We find ourselves there, too." ~Kristen Martz

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I found a spare moment this week, so I grabbed my broom and swept away the winter dirt from my front porch.

I'm a little late with my porch cleaning and decorating this year, due to Mama Robin. She decided our home was hers, too. We found her nest and babies in a planter on the porch weeks ago.



We all agreed to give her her privacy. So, we stayed off the porch as much as possible.

Only just recently have the babies all flown away, so I'm now trying to play catch-up on the porch.

I washed the windows and swing and purchased a bright pink Begonia. 


There is still much to do, but this is a good start!

(A porch tip: I have learned through the years that begonias, impatiens, and ferns all do really well on my front porch. They're successful because they're shade plants, so the covered porch protects them from the summer sun, allowing them to thrive!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Our little Nola had a ballet recital recently, too.

(We grabbed a quick picture with her after the show...)

She did great!


And now our kitchen island is beautifully decorated with the flowers she received at her performance.

Fresh flowers sure know how to brighten up the place!


In the background you can see our chalkboard fridge.

I freshened it up the other day with a new saying.

Here's a close-up...


Remember this song?

"Count your blessings name them one by one..."

Isn't it a great reminder?!

There's always something to be thankful for!

The first verse is my favorite:

"When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."


I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mama!

There are hardly any childhood photos of me where I'm not holding a baby doll or my baby brother.

Once, when I was a kid, I set up my bedroom as a little 'apartment' and made a kitchen, a living room, and a nursery. I would make-believe that I was the mama there, and my dolls were my babies. My mom let me keep my room that way for months!

When I got a little older and began babysitting, I would take charge of the children in my care as though they were my own. I would dress them, make food for them, take them on walks to the park... And when the parents were due to arrive home, I would happily wash dishes, and scurry around the house tidying up. 

In high school, when all of my friends were talking about future career goals and college plans, I would say, "I just want to get married and have babies!" They all thought I was nuts! Haha...

Now, my dream has come true!

I'm never happier than when my schedule is clear and I'm just working hard at HOME!

"See to it that you lead a quiet life, minding your own business, and work with your hands..." ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11

My most recent little project was this music table...


I am old-fashioned and prefer to listen to CD's. I've tried Pandora, but ended up deleting it from my phone. I just like my trusty, old, stand-by music that has been with me for years. 

I have a little CD player in my kitchen, but since removing Pandora, I realized we didn't have an option for music anymore upstairs!

I wanted to fix that.

I purchased a new, little CD player, and dug out this small table from storage.


In the picture above, I had given it a light sanding in our work room.

It needed some freshening up before bringing it out into the house.

After sanding it, I applied a coat of this Antique Walnut Minwax...


I really like this shade of stain and have used it in our home many times. It's a great color because it's not at all orange-y or overly dark.

Once it dried, I set it up in the hallway between my children's bedrooms.

It fits perfectly in this little spot!


I hate the look of draping electrical cords, so I tend to always rubber-band the excess like this:

(It's safer and much tidier!)

These are the CD's we are currently enjoying upstairs!


We like to play praise music in the mornings while we're all upstairs together working on our 'morning routine'. 

If you're new to my blog then I'll fill you in... Our "morning routine' is what we call the time after breakfast when we all get to work making our beds, brushing our teeth, straightening up our rooms, and getting dressed.

I start a batch of laundry, and whip open the windows for some fresh air.

It's an up-beat and fun time in our day!

At night we listen to lullabies.

It's amazing the impact music has in the home!

It can really alter the atmosphere.

Sweet lullabies at bedtime calms everyone down and brings peace into our upstairs while the children drift off to sleep...


Mama's, it's OUR job to make sure our homes are peace-filled! 

Guard your home against anything that is negative!

Don't turn on the news, or scream at the kids and the dog... Don't play music that will drag down your spirit. Work around your home with a happy heart, and teach your children to have happy hearts as well! 


~ Homelife should be wonderful! ~

Take care, sweet friends...

xo,

~ Courtney ~












No comments:

Post a Comment

I love receiving your kind comments! They make blogging much more fun when I can interact with friends!