Things I'm Loving
1. Painting Furniture
Back in the fall, I wanted to paint my dark, cherry dresser. I tried to sand the dresser, but the varnish on top would not budge. No amount of elbow grease or sand paper was going to remove this varnish. So now I was stuck-everything was sanded except the top-which was dark brown. Cue my husband who came in clutch with a chalk paint recipe. I was able to paint the whole dresser WHITE and you can't even see the dark top. Amazing!! Last week, I used the same recipe for my bedside table, which was the same dark cherry stain. This time, I didn't sand any of it.
Here's the recipe:
-one cup of paint
-one tablespoon of water
-one tablespoon of carbon (we used white tums crushed up)
2. House Hunters
I grew up in a home where TV was limited to 30 minutes a day and we didn’t have cable. So anytime we went on vacation, my mom would watch HGTV. And I never understood why...until several years ago. Right now, Thomas and I are on a House Hunters kick. I honestly thinks it great for our relationship. We have never bought a house, so I have enjoyed seeing what each of us like and dislike. Maybe it will make our house-buying process easier?!
3. Ben Rector
To be fair, I am always loving Ben Rector. However, he released a new album last week and no surprise it been on repeat at the Jennings' residence. Here's what Ben had to say about this album,
"After more than a decade in constant forward motion, tour to tour, album to album, the parade was over. It was quiet. I was tired. Hillary was pregnant. It was the end of a chapter. When I sat down to write again, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. I'd been so busy running forward that I hadn't much time to look back. When I did look back, I saw magic in where I came from, the magic of being young and naive. Nostalgia can make you think the "magic" part of life has come to a close, but as I've watched my daughter's first few months in the world . I realize there's not only magic in where we come from but also in where we are and where we are going. I hope this album captures that." -Ben Rector
Each song pulls at different heartstrings, takes me back to places I had long forgotten, yet also makes me eager for the future and all the new magic and memories that await. Run and buy this album!
What I'm Reading
(so much because it's SUMMER!!!)
1. Let's all Be Brave by Annie F. Downs
Favorite Quote:
“I know what God can do, but even if he doesn’t. I still won’t worship idols. I will still worship the one true God. I know God can heal my friend’s illness, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can fix relationships, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can provide a husband, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can provide for me financially, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can answer this prayer, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can help us get pregnant, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can rescue us, but even if he doesn’t. I know God can heal my body and make it possible for me to have children, as I feed it what it needs and say no to the things that make me more sick, but even if he doesn’t….Right? EVEN. IF. HE. DOES. NOT. Can you say that and mean it? Can you say the hard no, knowing it may cost you a lot? Knowing that God can change everything but maybe not?”
2. If I Did It by OJ Simpson
3. Education A La Carte by Dr. Kevin Leman
4. Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank
5. The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
6. Snow Lane by Josie Angelini
7. Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines
Favorite Quote:
“I believe with all my heart that it’s only after working by side with another person that you earn the right to speak into that person’s life. It’s a basis of friendship that can forge a path toward common ground. The ditch is where trust is built. Then it’s at the dining room table, laden with lovingly prepared food, that walls come down. It’s around the table that you discover you might, in fact, love this person you were pretty sure you were suppose to hate. It’s here that both sides are heard and hearts begin to change. Maybe not wholly. This isn’t some manipulative act where the goal is to win someone over to your side. The goal is listening and truly hearing. It’s letting your guard down and letting your heart open up. The goal is to leave the table no longer as strangers or enemies, but as fellow travelers on the journey of life. Maybe you even leave as friend who have chose to agree-to-disagree on some things. This is where hate and fear begin to lose their grip. This is where you begin to have each other’s back even when you can’t fully embrace each other’s cause.”
“I believe with all my heart that it’s only after working by side with another person that you earn the right to speak into that person’s life. It’s a basis of friendship that can forge a path toward common ground. The ditch is where trust is built. Then it’s at the dining room table, laden with lovingly prepared food, that walls come down. It’s around the table that you discover you might, in fact, love this person you were pretty sure you were suppose to hate. It’s here that both sides are heard and hearts begin to change. Maybe not wholly. This isn’t some manipulative act where the goal is to win someone over to your side. The goal is listening and truly hearing. It’s letting your guard down and letting your heart open up. The goal is to leave the table no longer as strangers or enemies, but as fellow travelers on the journey of life. Maybe you even leave as friend who have chose to agree-to-disagree on some things. This is where hate and fear begin to lose their grip. This is where you begin to have each other’s back even when you can’t fully embrace each other’s cause.”
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