1. Pop in some binders (ponytail holders, for all of my readers from out side MN).
2. Chop it off! Collect 8-10 inches of hair at a salon (I have been growing out my hair since May of 2008).
3. Drop it in an envelope and send it to a hair charity location. Try Locks of Love or Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths.
Before:
After:
Happy Clipping!
I holler at the kids; interrupt at dinner parties and chat up my mom friends at the park.
Still, I am feeling a vacant sort of quiet in my head. The noise of my own thoughts seem too loud so I stop listening and keep on doing things anyway.
On auto-pilot and cruise control for parenting, working, family bonding, cleaning, enjoying, creating, worshiping. Until…I found this photo, in my archives, of an apple corer.
A whole apple represents me. Blades of daily life split me apart; tearing pieces away from my very center. All that was left? Fleshy fruit waiting to brown with a pile of seeds standing alone.
Or so I thought.
In reality, I am an apple, willing to nourish and refresh others.
Even when bowls of mac-n-cheese spill over the highchair, or another opportunity for time with my husband gets side-tracked by much needed “to-do” work on the laptop, *cough* see above, I can give a section of hope to my loved ones.
When every slice of me is served up for the taking, I am still centered. God stands with me as the core of my strength.
When I my shiny, red exterior has been sectioned off by the mini-van hustle, job responsibilities, hyper kids, and unmet wants and desires. God provides seeds of regrowth, made just for me.
The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. {2 Timothy 4:1}
It all started when….
I took home a dresser, as a freebie leftover, after helping out with a family garage sale.
You know the moment. The, its free, I’m sure I could fix it up and use it, moment.
That was about, um…..4 years ago or so.
Now, attempts have been made. But, the weather or pregnancy or a good TV show kept getting in the way.
In fact, I picked this dresser project up a few times over the last year.
They look fine, but, using free recycled paint doesn’t always work out so hot. Like it didn’t in my case so much. I mentioned this this previous post that it may be “getting too cold”…it was.
Back it went, to the depths of the crowded garage for another two seasons.
Summer came. There I was, faced with the real deal. Do this project or put it in a bonfire.
Have you ever been there? I CAN’T get rid of this DIY dream or I’ll finally be admitting I FAILED! So I just did it.
1. Lightly sand and wipe with a cloth to get the cowebs off, I mean, to prep the wood.
2. Slap on paint. Roll the fronts. Use a foam brush to blend in drips on the sides.
3. Spray those knobs outside! I bought cheap wooden ball knobs. Just mow your lawn after your done.
4. Make it customized. I attached a wood-chip bumble bee, purchased from a big “fabcrafart” store, to the top drawer front. I drew bzzzzz lines with a sharpie pen.
Still looking for the screw to the last knob. I tried to tape it on for the photo. Seriously, I did. What a fraud. But, as it should be, the knob fell off during my photo.
Better-Than-Trash Dresser Redo has Behr Cottage White Latex paint and Kylon Black Satin spray paint.
P.S. I think I’ll add another bee and some more bzzz lines. It needs a little more pizazz.
How about, 4 bees for my 2 (soon to be 4) children busy bees? Sounds good. Any reason to go to the fabcrafart store, right?
To the girl with eyes that say everything – I love you! You’ve made our lives full of joy and laughter with a whole lot of hustle and bustle thrown in!
I hope you are always as energetic and strong as you are at two years old.
Check out Molly’s tea party at the Kobies blog (our friends). Her friend Lucy (thanks Becki!) posted all the photos.
{Linked up to Trash to Treasure Tuesdays at Reinvented.}
I painted a shutter from a garage sale in my pre-blogging days. Hence, no true before photo.
It was just wood.
Next, it was glorious, in it’s sage and black shabbiness. It was ideal for the top of my kitchen cabs as a backdrop for other decor. (when my kitchen was sage green)
Now it has a breath of fresh life as a beach-weather inspired towel rack for the kids in the bathroom.
Remember the color teal? Teal ruled about 15 plus years ago. I am bringing it back.
I promise to get a nice photo of all the bathroom updates when everything is installed.
Have a beachy kind of day!
Summer in Minnesota is a frenzy of outdoor relaxation, family activities and work projects.
Walks in Grammy's garden
S'mores and then some more S'mores!
Handy-work in the garage! New shelves Neat Pete designed and built to help get ready for the twins! They could also be bunks 
It’s offical, I will have two more daughters come this fall!
Ryan, 4, is ready to be the only brother and he has already been planning to buy more kitchen toys and baby dolls to accommodate the “girl land”, as he puts it, that will ensue.
Phase one: Treasure the present. Feel the room with your eyes and heart. Take pictures.
Phase two: Talk about setting what “is” into the what “was” category. Nuts and bolts of the moving plan can be discussed.
Phase three: Firm up memories. Remember when you did this or that, here and there…
Phase four: Make doing things in the room special by doing them, one final time.
Goodbye blue ceiling with Mama's painted clouds.
Molly waves goodbye! Notice their faces are bittersweet.
Goodbye Molly's crib. Soon you'll be reborn as the twins' crib.
Goodbye dresser/changing table. We did have fun jumping off of you!
Just A Blink journals my ups and downs in creating thrifty home decor, spending time with my family, and finding simplicity. I write about everything from my garage sale addiction to my faith in God.
Read along as time flies!