Nearly Trash to Treasure

Last fall I went to my grandma's yard sale ~ and came home with two children's chairs in the back of my car.  They were a cute pair, but in need of a little love.  I took them home with good intentions, but after my attempts to fix them didn't work as well as I'd hoped, I set them aside (and eventually outside) for another day. 

Another day came yesterday, when, after finding inspiration (thank you Lori!) I finally figured out what to do with one of the chairs... the one that had really fallen apart & was actually heading for the curb this week!

Here are some pictures taken throughout the process:

First I sanded away the old, peeling varnish, and wiped the chair clean.  Next I found paint* in a pretty autumn color ~  and used a foam brush to apply it in light coats.  I then positioned a large vase under the chair and filled it with hydrangeas.  The sign placed across the back was from an old fruit crate... added to cover the empty space and add interest.

*I used a mis-tinted (oops!) latex paint sample from a home improvement store (only 50 cents!) from my mother-in-law ~ thanks Nida! 

After it was finished, I moved the little chair back inside to a place where it'll be safe from the curb ~ for hopefully some time now.  Just glad I didn't throw out this little chair... it just went from nearly trash to treasure! 

“ Creativity is contagious. 

    Pass it on.”  

~ Albert Einstein

My Grandmother's Mother

As a little girl, I had the great privilege of meeting an amazing woman.

~ Mrs. Nellie Lynch ~  

She was very old, and she had the most wrinkly face I'd ever seen.  I didn't think she was ugly though ~ because her beauty came from within.  She smiled and joked almost the whole visit ~ she even played my brother's little blue guitar and made up a song...  

This amazing woman was my great-grandmother.

Up until recently, I'd really known very little about her.  I knew she was born and raised in Kentucky.  She earned a degree in teaching from Berea College, and eventually taught in a one-room school house.  Her mode of transportation to and from college was a donkey which she rode through mountain passes.  I also knew she had many children, with the eldest being my grandma ~ Norma.

This past week, my grandma's sister ~ Juanita ~ said she'd unearthed a documentary made in 1940 of my grandma and her family, when my grandma was just 7 yrs old... and we could watch it online.

Click here to watch the documentary.

Nellie in the kitchen, preparing corn pone

My grandma, eating breakfast...

 Getting dressed for school...

 Walking to the one-room schoolhouse... 

Reading aloud in class...  You can even hear her voice as she reads... and I can tell it's my grandma, even though in 1940 it was just the voice of a little girl.

Throughout the first half of the video, you probably noticed the handmade wooden signs: 

SMILE   

above the front door... on the outside and inside.  

We Are THANKFUL  

 above a doorway that leads to the kitchen.  

GOD BLESS OUR HOME  

above the bedroom window.

In honor of my great-grandma Nellie, 

I painted a sign which will eventually hang above my own front door...

I think it's a fitting way to honor a woman I'd call great... 

for reasons other than being my grandmother's mother.

"Some people, no matter how old they get, 

never lose their beauty...

 they merely move it 

from their faces into their hearts."

~ Martin Buxbaum

An Evening Walk

A few days ago, the kids and I went for a walk through a nearby corn field.  I got out of the car and realized I didn't have my camera...  At first disappointed, I soon was happy to be enjoying our time together ~ without distractions. 

It was nearing sunset, so I urged the kids to stay close.  My son forged ahead, as far as he dared, while my daughter lagged behind examining rocks and flowers, beetles and roots...  

We soon came to a clearing with a small but flourishing patch of goldenrod, iron weed, and Queen Anne's lace.  

My son asked a few questions about the flowers, but not long after, he found a stick to play with, and was pacing and wanting to start walking back.  My daughter picked a small fistful of flowers and grasses and was ready to go as well.  In the meantime, I'd gathered my own bouquet of the wildflowers ... 

As the sun sank below the treeline, we made our way back to the car ... each bearing his own treasures and dreaming up what could be our next adventure...

Thoughts of our evening walk together ~ inspired the watercolor above.