A Woman's Haven: October 2011

Idea File: Oak Leaf Burlap Garland

Oak Leaf burlap Garland at {Craftberry Bush}

Idea File: Glam Halloween Wreath

{Days of Chalk and Chocolate} made this cute and glamorous Halloween wreath.

Idea File: Chalkboard Wine Bottles

{Desperate Craftwives} show us how to paint old wine bottles with chalkboard paint. How cute!

Idea File: Painted Bug Bottles

Cute Décor idea for Halloween from {The Wicker House}.

Simple Meal

Today I woke up feeling a nauseas for the first time in a few months. I made some mint tea to help settle my stomach.

I also just wanted something simple for dinner and the first three months of my pregnancy I ate a lot of potato dishes which seemed to help with my stomach being upset.

I mixed together:
1 package of Simply Potatoes
Garlic
Dried Basil
Dried Italian Seasoning Mixture
Preheated the oven at 400 degrees.
Baked for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes I took the mixture out and topped it with Parmesan Cheese and Bacon Bits.
I then switched the oven to broil and broiled for another 10 minutes to give the top a little crisp.

Steamy, yummy and so simple.

My simple dessert:
Carmel & an apple…yum

See my {Linky Parties} page to view the parties I am participating in.

Link up to my Shades of the Season Party {Here}! A new weekly feature every Sunday!

Computer problems

I am experiencing computer problems and lost my header…ugh! Hope to get it figured out soon.

I wanted to take a moment to include some of my projects in my Idea File feature. Projects have slowed down to mainly nursery projects since finding out about our pregnancy, but that’s okay. Next Spring & Summer I will be tackling our downstairs bathroom, creating a pantry in a closet, turning our garage into a “man cave”, a kitchen transformation and yard, patio, and garden changes. These were all projects that I had planned for this summer until I slept most of the summer away with pregnancy exhaustion and nausea.

Dyed Doily Banner

Lamp Transformation

Child’s Play: Liquid Chalk

Painted Urn

Tweet Treat

No Knit Scarf

Beach Glass Shadow Box

Painted Mantel Sign

Gallery Wall Project

Upcycled Kitchen Additions

Mason Jar Snowmen

Travel Map
Frame Transformation

Crafternoon: Paper Cone Baskets
Crafternoon: Spring Wreaths
Crafternoon: Embroidery Hoop Art

Nursery Sneak Peek

See my {Linky Parties} page to view the parties I am participating in.

Link up to my Shades of the Season Party {Here}! A new weekly feature every Sunday!

Idea File: Chalkboard Treat Buckets

{Heather Bullard} made these cute treat buckets from garden peat pots. Very Cute!

Idea File: Vintage Teacup Candles

{Georgia Pond} shows us how to turn vintage teacups into candles!

Autumn is coming to a close

Colors are fading and leaves are falling…

Idea File: Lace & Ribbon Chandelier

{Andrea Dozier} made this pretty chandelier.

Coffee Talk Tuesday

Good Morning! Thank you again for coming on by for me to share my thoughts with you again today. This last week the topic of fatherhood has been weighing on my mind lately. You see I grew up with a father who was mostly absent from my life and I worked hard for a many years to make my marriage work so that my children had their father present in their life. Since my divorce 4 years ago my children have learned a new and uncharted aspect of their father…one that I quite often sheltered them from.

When I decided to separate from my husband it was shocking news to my two young children. My ex husband and I were very good at pretending for our kids that everything was okay between us so they never had any idea that there were problems. There has been many hurt feelings since the separation and divorce once they began seeing a more selfish side to their father. Again an aspect of him that I sheltered them from. Throughout all of the adjustments, disappointments and hurt I would always reassure my children that there father still loved them…Until I had my counselor tell me to stop.

He explained to me that by reassuring them I was teaching them that it was okay to hurt and disappoint and that is how they would eventually see love. He asked me this question…Did that kind of love from him fulfill and work for you? Him asking my that was very profound for me and changed how I approached my children’s relationship with their father. I quit making excuses for him and his behavior and I quit trying to control how my children viewed their dad. Don’t get me wrong I still listened and comforted them, but I just approached it differently than I had before.

My daughter is sixteen now and very much has a mind of her own. She sees things that I can’t shelter her from, can’t protect her from, and can’t explain away from her. Her relationship with her dad is very rocky and she no longer spends time with him. Seeing her in pain breaks my heart because I know all to well the thoughts and feelings that a young girl can take on when they have an absent father. I try to tell myself this is her path in life and that what happens to her now shapes who she is becoming and that is already planned out for her by a higher source. I hope she takes the stronger path and doesn’t fall to many times from how the relationship with her father has effected her, but again all I can do is listen, comfort and guide from my position as her mother. It has been hard for her and hard for me.

I am very grateful to now have a wonderful man in my life that does not bring hurt and disappoint along with the relationship. I know that if I had not learned the lessons I had from my first marriage that I quite possible would have missed or dismissed this person when he came along.

My hope is that my daughter doesn’t have to go through those same life lessons. I hope that she doesn’t look for validation from the wrong people. I hope that she recognizes good people when they come into her life. I hope she knows herself well enough to know what she deserves and what she doesn’t. I hope she knows what love should be and what it shouldn’t be. That is my hope for her future.

Linking to:

{Virtual Coffee}
{Heart Therapy}
{I Am Grateful For}

Until next time…

Link up to my Shades of the Season Party {Here}!

Sneak Peek: Project Nursery

I have been working on our nursery little by little. There have been lots of mini projects. Lots of painting of picture frames, baskets and shelves. I have a lot more projects I am working on with more to come but here are a few photos of different areas that are put together for now.