A New Tradition

Almost every Saturday morning for the past month, we have found ourselves at the Pepper Place Farmer's Market. An array of colors are a sight to see with rows of booths filled with fresh, homegrown vegetables and fruit. Another section of the market includes all things handmade. I love seeing someone's craft and always appreciate the amount of detail and work put into it.

One of the best parts of all is that it's pet friendly. I can't tell you how many times we get stopped each visit for someone to pet Manley. Pets bring people together, and there are more Dachshund lovers out there than I thought. He gets so much attention and always takes a long nap afterwards. : )

Here are a few highlights from our Saturday trip to the farmer's market:

On the way

A Profound Phrase

 

For better or for worse- the most profound phrase ever created.

Love is far more than a feeling. If you depend on your "feelings" to get you through a tough situation, you might as well hang it up.

Love is a choice. It's deciding to throw away the petty things. It's a decision to live unselfishly. It does not point out wrongs. It's patient. It's kind. It's unfailing. Those things described definitely aren't feelings. They're attributes that we have to work pretty darn hard at.

I'll leave you with this song by the sultry John Legend. 

Photo found on Stumble Upon.

The Bubble Life

I made a goal today - the BeautyGirl site will be up by the morning, even if that means that I stay up till morning. Let's have a party to celebrate! You in? : )

On another note, I've been thinking a lot about the importance of being open - open to learning, to change, to challenges.

When I was in college, I began to form a broader worldview. Growing up in a small Southern town does not offer you much perspective. However, in college, I met many international friends who taught me so much. Their beliefs were different than mine, but that didn't bother me. Rather, it intrigued me to make sure I knew what I believed. Their culture was different than mine. Instead of turning my nose to it, I embraced it. I loved learning about the many things that made them so different than I am from food to clothing and their way of life.

Nowadays, I catch myself living in a bubble- a tiny bubble that only consists of my pesky problems, my friends, and my family. It's rather quite self-centered, but I think we're all like that. If not, I'm really putting myself out on a limb here.

From the movie, Bubble Boy. I haven't seen it, but it seemed appropriate. 

When we live in our bubbles, we have a narrow perspective on...everything. We forget about the world around us and many times fail to even educate ourselves on it. The countries at war or the natural disasters in other areas don't seem to affect us.

If I had it my way, I would travel the world (who wouldn't, right?). And I would go to as many countries as possible and see how others live.

Obviously, I need a pay check and retirement would be nice, too, so that type of lifestyle may never be afforded to me.

However, I can commit to learn - to be open to other people, to educate myself on other things that do not pertain to my little world.

I really think that if we step outside of ourselves for just a moment - we will grow in ways that we never imagined. Our problems will seem minute when the microscope is turned away.

And we may just form a new appreciation for one another and our own lives.

The Simple Things

The most simple things can bring happiness and therapy to our lives.

Flowers and fresh fruit are among the simple things I love.

I used to think flowers were a waste of money. And I've never been a huge fan of red roses. $50 for a bouquet of roses will never make sense to me. However, a few dollars, I can do. It freshens up your space. And fruit from the farmer's market is always nice, too. Honestly, I think it's the memory you make walking along the booths at the market that makes the fruit so good.

Relationships: oh so complicated sometimes. But not with my niece and nephews.They're so much fun, say the funniest things, and you get to return them when done. : )

Pets, need I say more? I don't want to think of ever coming home without a friendly hello from my pup. I'm biased, of course, but he's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

The simple things...isn't that what life is all about?

What simple things bring you joy?

Do I Sound Elderly?

When we bought our house, this glider sat on the front porch.

Plain but sturdy and nice to sit on while drinking your morning coffee. Do I sound elderly? But need I say plain again?

I finally decided to paint the thing.

Instead of purchasing paint, I decided to be resourceful and use what I already owned. Let's see...gray, white, or vintage green? I went with green because white's too typical and gray is just boring!

With a little spray paint primer...well, because I'm lazy and it's easier.

 And a coat of one of my favorite colors, I think it turned out well.

And of course the infamous Instagram shot for a cool effect. :)

My Thrift Store Treasures

Last Saturday was amazing! The weather was nice, and it just felt like an antiquing kind of day. I love going to antique shops and browsing, even if I don't buy anything at all. 

I also love going to thrift stores. With my new burst of energy, I decided to visit the new Jimmie Hale Mission thrift store right down the street from my house. 

Little did I know that I'd find several treasures!

A candle stick for $1.00. These two dishes that I'll use for jewelry at $0.79 a piece and this wooden decorative piece for $1.99. Not bad, right?

I love the teal dish! 

Then I found these babies at $6.00 a piece! I've been looking for chairs for my kitchen table, ideally white to tie in my modern kitchen with my other rustic pieces in the room like my farm table. 

I immediately headed to Lowe's to buy primer and paint. But when I put them in the kitchen, I couldn't decide if I wanted to paint them or not. They're fiber glass or plastic...not sure? So if I paint them, I need to make sure that I do it right the first time.

Here's a picture of them at the table. 

I love the silver legs of the chairs, which go nicely with our stainless steel appliances. 

What do you think? Paint white or keep? Or am I completely crazy for even liking them? :) The more I look at them, they start to remind me of school chairs. 

My Kitchen Remodel: Before & After

For two years, I have manged and edited BeautyGirl and never have had a personal blog of my own. Before BeautyGirl was hacked into, I thought I'd start this blog. Now that you readers are redirected to this site, you'll get to know me a little bit better. I hope you don't mind! By the way, if you're a fellow blogger on blogspot, be sure to follow me. I'd love to get to know you better, too.

I thought I'd share a home project: My Kitchen Remodel

It still needs a little tweaking, but for the most part we are proud of the finished product. Everything was installed by ourselves except for the back splash and hardwoods.

Before

Notice the beautiful, country scalloping above the sink.

The right side was not utilized to its maximum potential.

Here is where the stove once was, and the previous owners put their refrigerator in the pantry. Weird!

After

The entire kitchen was gutted and added were Ikea cabinets and fixtures as well as silestone counter tops.

Where there were no cabinets before, we added cabinetry around a refrigerator and a cute, little coffee station.

Hardwoods were installed to match the flooring throughout the house. Still to come is a stainless steel back splash above the oven.

There are a few minor things to do still, but isn't there always? Stay tuned for my thrift store finds and the new kitchen chairs I purchased for my farm table at only $6 each.