DIY Gather Sign

 

Gather signs have been so popular lately and I wanted to create one that was unique to my style. Just love out it turned out. 

The Steps: 

 I started with finding this old frame that was in the back of our garage. I found it somewhere a long time ago and its just been sitting their waiting to be loved.

 This frame in particular is large, approximately 28" x33". 

I then cut 1x4s down to size.

 I then stained the wood.

 Dry brushed some white paint over the top once the stain was dry.

 Once the wood was completely dry I sanded.

 I then pained the frame black and sanded the edges to give it a rustic edge.

I attached the wood to the frame using wood glue and my nail gun.

 I purchased the word "gather" that had already been cut out of sheet metal and attached it to the wood with small nails.

 And I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out. 

Here's to a new season of decorating and creating a beautiful home!

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5 Rooms You should be using Lavender Essential Oil in Your Home

As thousands of kids head back to school families all around the world often find a sense of anxiety trying to manage busy schedules, helping with homework and creating that bedtime routine.

  We all know our sense of smell often triggers different emotions, right?! One simple thing you can implement into your lives to help with daily routines and so much more is Lavender! 

8 Benefits of Lavender

1. Reduces anxiety and emotional stress.

2. Improves sleep.

3. Restores skin complexion and reduces acne.

4. Improves mood and brain function.

5. Headache remedy.

6. Antioxidant protection.

7. Natural room freshener.

8. Heals burns and scaring.

Lavender can come in the purest oil form as well as being found in everyday items we all use in our homes and our personal care products. 

 { Be aware that not all oils are created equally though. Read more HERE about the FDA Warning in regards to Essential Oil companies and be an educated consumer. }

Want to receive a FREE Lavender personal care pack valued at $29.00?

>>> Click HERE to learn how! <<<

 

1. Your Bedroom! Add a few drops of Lavender oil to your pillow cases each night or use a Lavender linen spray to aid in sleep and restfulness.  

2. Your Laundry Room! Add a few drops of Lavender oil to wool fabric balls. Your laundry will come out smelling heavenly! Even better when you partner it with an eco-friendly lavender scented laundry detergent. 

3. Your Kitchen! Add a few drops of Lavender oil to hot water and wash your floors. Your kitchen will smell peaceful. What every momma needs!

4. Your Bathroom! Add a few drops of Lavender oil to the cardboard in your toilet paper roll. Each time someone spins the roll you'll be lifted to lavender bliss! An added bonus is to have lavender scented hand soap on the sink so your guests feel a sense of peace as they leave your bathroom.

5. Your Entry Way! I want people to gain a sense of welcomed-ness and peace as they enter my home. I have found a non-caustic lavender essential oil diffuser that I have going close to our front door. Love the way it smells when we enter.

Wishing you a school year filled with calmness and peace!

Helping families achieve all aspects of personal, physical and financial wellness since 2007! http://www.4MyKiddos.com

5 Steps to a Guest Ready Kitchen

 I find one of the biggest reasons I don't have friends over more often is because I don't feel my home is ready. As a disciple I know that I need to show hospitality more often!

1 Peter 4:9 says this: 

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 

When I read this verse it reminds me that I need to keep my home in a way that I don't grumble when guests come over because of my insecurities that my home isn't guest worthy. 

Here are 5 Steps that you can do daily (that take less than 30 minutes) to help you feel prepared when a planned or UN-planned guest should arrive!  

 A Count Down to a Guest Ready Kitchen

 5. Sweep! I feel like my entire home is more put together when the floor is clean. My two younger kids enjoy sweeping at their age and that is a simple task that helps me a ton.

4. Crumb free, clean table! Its so embarrassing to have a guest show up and sit at your table with yesterdays breakfast stuck to it.  After each meal I do a quick wipe down.

 3. A dish free sink. We are so blessed with modern technology and the invention of a dishwasher! After each meal make sure your dishes find their way into the dishwasher if your lucky enough to have one. It gives peace of mind and a much better smell if you do. 

If your looking for a great dish soap this is my new favorite! It has no formaldehyde, phthalates or toxic chemicals and is made of 99%biodegradable ingredients and the smell is Fresh Lavender! Its heavenly! (You can find more about that HERE).

 2. Clutter free counters. My mission this past year has been to create a home that is a place of rest and peace where less is more. I recently cleaned out our cupboards and have a simple layout for them. The same goes for the rest of my kitchen. I'm finding if there is a place for everything I feel less anxiety and stress.

 

1. Have coffee close by! I love coming over to friends houses who welcome you and say "Coffee's on". And are ready to sit across the table from you to enjoy conversation paired with a warm cup of coffee.  And even if you've missed all of the other steps but have coffee to welcome them they will see past the crumbs and enjoy you!

May you enjoy this day, the beauty of your home and the preparedness you have with a home that is guest ready!

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Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

 This beautiful girl of mine is now 12 years old and measures 5ft 1in! Seems like yesterday she was a tiny baby who I carried in my arms. 

She is such a great help with her younger siblings and is super helpful in the kitchen too. 

 

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C. Shortening

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. Sugar

1 packed C. Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 C. Flour 

2 C. Chocolate Chips 

Mix, Bake at 375* for 10 min per batch, Enjoy!

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Creating a Purposeful Home

 Over this summer Ive been focused on creating a more simple, purposeful home without so much stuff and clutter. My kitchen cabinets included! 

Our cabinet for plates/bowls had been completely turned into a shove all. See those two ice cream buckets in the upper right hand? Those are full of parade candy from the previous year! WHY?!

 So I cleared the cabinet and gave more function to it.

 I painted the inside of the cabinets grey. We have a lot of underlying grey tones in the tile on the floor and counter tops.

 I purged a lot of our old big, heavy dishes. I kept all of the correll dishes that were my great grandmothers and then purchased a new set that was on sell for $22.00 that matched to ensure we had enough for our family.

 I then cut simple labels with my Silhouette for two reasons. 

1. I think its visually pretty and it brings me joy when I open the cabinet doors. 

2. For the little people in my home who help put dishes away, this now shows them there is a specific place for everything.

 I tend to be very sentimental. So there are some dishes I cant get rid of. Like the bowl that was given to us as a wedding present, the bowl that I remember my grandmother serving peaches in at meals and the large serving platter I purchased for the first Thanksgiving I hosted.

 

As I work through my home and clear things that are just taking up space I'm finding that its leaving room for thigns that I truly do find joy in and providing me with more peace and a clearer mindset.  

Make it a great week!

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Wash. Dry. Fold. Repeat.

 Our laundry room has had a little updating in the past few weeks!

 I needed some art to cover my ugly utility panel that sits right above our dyer. Remember my previous post about it?! (Click HERE to see the before).

 What I had in place there before was no longer working for me. So I updated it with this more modern approach that is a bit more functional.

 I have this small shelf above the dryer. Previously it was a piece of particle board. I ditched that guy and replaced with a 1x10 that I stained the same color as the trim of the sign.

 I filled this old jar with clothes pins. 

(We have a clothes line that we use frequently yet I never remember where my clothes pins are. Now they have a specific home).

 Added this small bin for our "lost socks".

 For the sign itself I used a piece of bead board. I painted the back in white chalk paint. Added the vinyl words that I cut out using my Silhouette . 

I then built a frame that measures 30" x 32". And added hooks to the back for hanging. 

 

It turned out exactly how I was envisioning it!  Simple design, a specific place for the things I use often and less stuff to distract my mind. 

Have a great weekend friends!

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