Friday Foto Friends~Be My Guest

Today was one of those kinds of days when you just don't feel like doing much...Oh, I did my normal routine in the morning...cuppa tea while checking messages, and then reading our devotions together before breakfast...This morning we had fresh blueberry pancakes, sausage links and scrambled eggs for breakfast...So I guess I did do something!  Then after cleaning up the breakfast dishes I went outside for a little while and checked on the garden...

I picked our very first tomato!! And yes, we are "thankful and blessed!"  I intended to eat it today, but for some reason I forgot. It probably needs a day on the shelf to finish ripening up at bit anyway.

I saw this little brown moth on the marigolds...looked it up and it appears to be a Dusky Herpetogramma If you want to know more, you can click on that link. It says it feeds on the leaves of grasses. So I'm not sure what it's doing on the marigold, which is supposed to keep pests away from our garden...hopefully he'll be happy to eat that instead of my squash and tomatoes! LOL.

Back inside...Blackie is watching the birds outside. I'm trying to keep him inside a little more during the day because the Bluebirds are nesting again, and they do not like him hanging around!! He likes to lay in the grass right under the birdhouse...which is like an invitation to get bopped in the head by an angry Bluebird parent! So, if I can keep him from getting into trouble, so be it!

Today a fellow was coming to mow the grass since our big mower is no longer working and it is going to be too expensive to fix, so we decided to pay this friend to mow rather than spend more money on equipment that we are getting too old to operate anyway.  He is very reasonable and does a good job, so we are thankful that he is available.  He also was cleaning out the gutters today as they are full of leaves and with the rainy season hopefully coming soon, we need them cleaned out.

Anyway, hubby was outside with the guy watching him climb up and down the ladder and making sure he didn't fall...and I decided that I really wanted to just go lay down for a few minutes. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and my body was just plain tired.  Instead of going into our bedroom, I felt the lure of the guest room drawing me in to come and "be a guest" in my own house for a little while...to see what it feels like to lay down in someplace different and feel like I'm on a little holiday...

This little sign hangs in the guest room. It originally belonged to my maternal Grandmother, and then my mother put it in her guest room...and it was one thing I really wanted to take home with me for my guest room when the time came to disperse the treasures among the remaining heirs...

"Welcome Guest, and howdedo!

This small room belongs to you.

And our house and all that's in it~

Make yourself at home each minute.

If the temperature displeases,

Take a couple of our breezes;

And if that should chill you later, 

Sit upon our radiator.

If a hungry pang is twitchin', make a raid upon our kitchen;

Help yourself to book or blotter,

easy chair or teeter-totter;

All is yours that you like best.

You're at home now!

Welcome Guest!"

by J.P. McEvoy, 1927

And so as I lay there upon the bed, instead of closing my eyes and resting like I should have been doing, I found myself looking around the room and imagining what it would feel like to actually be a guest in this room for the first time...

It's a cozy little room, filled with many treasures from loved ones who have gone on to heaven...

Nanny Martin's Singer Sewing machine...and her jar of buttons...

Quilts to lay across the bed and curl up under if the "breeze"  gets too chilly...

Many volumes of antique books, filled with stories of romance, adventure, and mystery, many written in the late 1800's  or early 1900's...the kind of books that you won't want to put down once you start reading...

Family portraits lined up on the shelves...and Teddy Bears to snuggle...

I wonder what's in that old wardrobe?  Oh...if you only knew! There are boxes and boxes of photo albums and packages of pictures that never made it into albums...but the stories these old photos could tell... (You can click HERE for the full story on this wardrobe.)

And I wonder where that Indian Brave came from?  The painting was done by a young warrior himself, many years before he knew what battles he would have to fight for his life...who now rests with his loved ones who went before him to heaven and with the Lord after he fought the good fight...

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

"7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Oh, look at this lovely young lady taking her dog for a walk...can you imagine the work that went into stitching that beautiful vintage piece?  It certainly makes for a comfy pillow for some sweet young lady to rest her head upon....

This piece was originally embroidered by my hubby's grandmother, Nanny Martin, and was on a table scarf. Part of the scarf was soiled and damaged, so I rescued this part and made it into a pillow case. (HERE is a LINK to when I made this, and the story connected to it.)

If you need to refresh yourself, you could use this lovely pitcher and bowl with some hot water....Also, the picture of the lady(s) on the dresser...the big one is Nanny Martin, (Pearl Waters Martin) and the photograph inset is her mother, Georgeanne Jarrard Waters.

I felt extra cozy and comfy on this sweet pillow with the bluebirds embroidered (again from Nanny Martin) on the edges (or are they Swallows? I prefer to think they are Bluebirds, since we have so many of them here).

It's so pleasant  here...

I wonder what's inside those pretty boxes? Actually those are Lily Grace's wardrobe boxes...if you felt like playing with dolls, that could easily be arranged...

I pulled up this old quilt, which was the one that Nanny Martin made for my hubby when he was young, and she saved it to give to us for our wedding gift. As an inexperienced young bride who knew nothing about old quilts, I almost ruined it for good, but thankfully a dear friend new how to restore it and saved it for future generations to enjoy.Here's a LINK to that story too.

And what about the quilt hanging on the wall behind the bed? Here's that story...another special gift. It seems like everything in this room has a story.

Oh, I just noticed this sweet picture of the two little girls walking together, holding hands...like dear sisters or special friends...

I love what it says:

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.

Just walk beside me and be my friend."

So, I really never took the nap I intended to take. But after laying there for a few minutes and looking around the room and remembering all the special people and gifts and memories that were surrounding me, I felt rested and refreshed and comforted.  I felt the love of so many who had gone on before us...and the heritage of their faith and love gave me renewed strength.  I was reminded of what the Lord told the Apostle Paul when he asked to have certain "thorn in his flesh removed" (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10),,,

And I concluded that perhaps I needed that "nap" just to be reminded of all that God has done for me and what He is continuing to do...and that even when I am feeling weak or weary and worn, He will give me His grace and strength to carry on and do the next thing, whatever it is that He needs me to do. I look forward to seeing how His power is going to be "made perfect in weakness".  Because the rest of that passage above is this: 

 

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

No, I don't want to be infirm, reproached, in need, persecuted or in distress, but oftentimes as Christians today we do find ourselves in such situations as that, and when whatever it is that comes along gives us an opportunity to stand up for our faith in Christ, then even in our weakness, He will make us strong. I know I can rely on Him, so I do not need to worry or fret over my own weakness or inabilities. God is in control.  Praise God!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little visit to my guest room. It seems as though lately it has become more of a catch all room as we seldom have any overnight guests. The past couple of years have been difficult in some ways for us with health issues, etc., so we really haven't encouraged too many guests to come. But it is always available should there be an opportunity to serve someone in their time of need or who just wants a place to rest from the cares of the world for a while. God knows...yes...He is in control.

And Now I'll Say Good Night! My own bed is calling...

 

Getting Ready for Company!

Hello!  Company's comin!  Gotta get the guest room ready!  I know, I know...if you've kept up with me since our move you thought it was already ready...(Click HERE for that story!)  But there were still some things that needed to be done, and it's been a slow work in progress.  The "guest room" also became the Christmas gift wrapping room, so it was kind of a mess for the whole month of December and some of January as it also became the storage room for the boxes for the decorations as they came off the tree and from around the house until everything could be taken back out to the storage shed. So it was a good thing we didn't have any overnight guests during the Christmas season!

But now we definitely have some overnight guests coming for a night this weekend, and so I had to get to work and get this room in "ship-shape".  You will notice that it has once again become the "Bear Crossing Bed and Breakfast" room.  That is temporary as I didn't have any other complete bedding for a "couple" to sleep in this room. The other bedspread and items were just a little too feminine for a man and a woman I thought. So this decor should appeal to both. 

Oh, you are wondering who's coming? Well, it's my cousin Becky and her hubby Pat from Ohio, and they are just passing through on their way further south, and won't be able to stay but the one night...but I am sure we will have a good time while they are here. Becky and I grew up together and we always have lots of happy memories to reminisce about when we get together.

I want to tell you about the quilted vintage tablecloth hanging on the wall over the bed. First of all, I struggled to get it up there straight (and it still is a little "off center" but it will have to do). I couldn't hang it in a square shape because our ceilings are slanted at that point, and it just didn't look right no matter how hard I tried to straighten it. So this was the only way it would work.

Anyway, the significance of this beautiful quilted vintage tablecloth is that it was a gift to me from my dear friend Sharon before she passed away from cancer last summer.  Here is my hubby and me below with Sharon, during happier, healthier times:

 And the quilted vintage tablecloth was actually quilted by Sharon's sister Barbara, who has a wonderful gift for quilting. Sharon said that her sister suggested that she give the quilt to me when Sharon was beginning to pack up her house and prepare to move back to Minnesota to live with her family there during the final days of her life. I felt extremely honored and blessed to have this very special gift.

Here is a little closer look at the detail of the quilt:

Barbara always signs the backs of her quilts with a special patch with her name, date, and a message. Since this was originally a vintage tablecloth, this message and blessing is very appropriate:

Another view of the quilt below.  It could still be used as a tablecloth, but I would hate to spill something on it and ruin it, so it will forever be used as a wall hanging, a special memorial to our dear friend Sharon.

 Now, back to the guest room tour...in front of the window I have set up my hubby's grandmother's antique Singer Sewing Machine in case our guests would like to spend some time exercising on the "treadle", since we don't have a "treadmill".   Just kidding. LOL. 

On the nightstand is the little lamp with the bear roasting marshmallows over a campfire, while the owls look on from the tree branch and the squirrel sits on the ground hoping the bear will give him a marshmallow too!

Now, especially for my cousin Becky, I have added this lovely portrait of our Great Grandma Mursch. She was the mother of our Grandpa Mursch.  Becky's mother and my father were brother and sister.  This particular Great-Grandmother died at a young age, leaving four living children  and I think she also had at least two infant children who passed away as babies. We don't know much more about her. My Great-Grandfather remarried and had one more daughter and two step-children. Anyway, I thought Becky might "enjoy" sleeping with Great Grandma watching over her...

But if they should have a hard time sleeping, here is my collection of very old books to entertain them...

They will also be watched over by this handsome Indian Brave. This was painted by our son Matthew when he was about eleven years old. He actually won a ribbon at the county fair for this painting. It's pretty special to me.

 There's that pillow I made for my hubby's cousin Janice, using vintage linens that were embroidered by her grandmother, Nanny Martin, who is also my hubby's grandmother. You can read more about that HERE.

And so, thus concludes the tour of the "Bear Crossing Bed and Breakfast" Guest Room. I do hope my cousin and her hubby will be comfortable here and enjoy their stay. I wish they could stay a little longer, but at least they will have lots of interesting things around them while they are here. 

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8

Good Night dear friends! Sleep Peacefully!

The Guest Room is Ready

I've been talking about getting the guest room ready for quite a while. It was the last room in the house to get organized and set up for "action".  My goal was to have it ready in time for Thanksgiving, just in case someone gets a big dose of turkey "tryptophan" and needs to take a nap after dinner (or decides to spend the night rather than drive home in the dark...)

If you've known me for a while, you've probably already seen this little sign from  an earlier guest room, or also from our more recent home and guest room, which I called the "Bear Crossing B & B":

and I've been rather anxious to hang it up again in our new home and be ready to welcome any guests who may want to come and stay. 

If you could have seen this room before I finally got it set up, you would appreciate it even more today.

Yes, there are still a few boxes stacked up here and there. And yes, there is a lot of furniture in this little room... But honestly...It's come a lonnnng way, baby!!  You should have seen it before I went through all the boxes of photos and condensed them into containers in that lovely cedar cabinet below: 

And then, once all those boxes were removed, there was the matter of setting up the bed... When we moved into the house this room became the catch-all room for anything and everything that didn't have a definite place to go.  So there was no room to set up the bed. And only the frame and box springs were brought into the house. Someone had the bright idea to put the mattress in the storage shed, way in the farthest back corner, behind two heavy file cabinets and boxed in by other shelves and boxes and tools...so that the only way to get the mattress out of the shed was to practically remove everything else from out of the way first! 

Well friends, I've been asking and asking the men of the family to please bring in that mattress so I could finish setting up the guest room.  My requests were usually met with, "Okay, when you have the rest of the room ready we will get it...", and then when I said I was ready, it became, "It'll have to wait until someone can help me get it out of the shed...", or "When I get home from work one night I'll do it" (from #3 son who lives here), but then when he gets home it is already dark and he's exhausted and needs a shower, etc., etc., etc.  and then hubby got sick with this cough/fever bug that's going around (and I had it all last week, except no fever for me...just lots of coughing...) and the clock keeps ticking away with just a few days left until Thanksgiving...and my goal was to have it ready by Thanksgiving by hook or by crook!

So today I quit asking and just went out to that shed and started moving things out of the way, one box of tools, one chair, two sets of plastic shelving that had boxes on them, more boxes, etc., etc., and then when I could finally get to the mattress, it was so well wedged in between the very heavy file cabinets and the wall of the shed I was ready to give up.  But I kept wiggling and tugging and pulling and working at it until presto!  The mattress was out from behind the file cabinet.  At this point I decided to call my married son who lives a mile away and ask him if he had a few minutes to come help me get it into the house (remember, hubby is still sick and not supposed to lift anything anyway, even if he was feeling good.)  Thankfully, #1 son was available within a few minutes, and between the two of us we managed to pull and push it up the deck steps and into the house and finally on top of the box springs on the bed in guest room!!! Sorry, no pictures of this wild frenzy of activity...just the final results!  Now I am resting...(I actually laid down on the guest bed and took a brief nap just to be sure it was comfy after all that work!)

I actually worked on a few more projects over the past couple of days.
Do you remember when I first got this lovely lady? You can re-read about it HERE

Well, after we brought her to our last house, a strange phenomenon began to take place. I don't think I have any pictures to show you, but little by little this lovely lady started to change color, until her whole face and hair looked like someone had painted her silver. I tried everything to clean her while living in our last house, but nothing would remove what appeared to be a kind of tarnish. This happened to some other painted items and anything silver (all my silver jewelry turned black) in our house, and we decided it was because of the sulfur water, which gives off hydrogen sulfide gas, which causes corrosion and other issues. I am thinking this lovely lady is probably painted with lead paint, and that may be why she turned silver.  Anyway, I'm still alive, so don't get panicky.  Since moving to our new home, where we now have city water, I noticed that this lovely lady was starting to look a little more normal again. So I got busy yesterday and washed her with some Dawn dish liquid, and then also used some silver polish cream on her, and all the "tarnish" disappeared!

The next project was this lamp:

Likewise, all of the brass on the base of this lamp had turned black with corrosion. I originally wanted to use this lamp in the guest room, but it needed some work. Not only was the brass black, but the light switch no longer worked and there was no way to turn the lamp on.  So, today I was determined to fix this lovely, very fragile antique porcelain hand painted lamp so I could put it in the guest room.  First I had to find a new electrical cord and switch/light bulb base. I decide to remove the cord/switch set from another old lamp that I wasn't using, but it did work, and put it into this lamp. Figuring out how to take it all apart and rewire it was the first task...but before I could do that I had to clean the brass base. So I got busy with some brasso cleaner and cleaned the brass. You should have seen it before...amazing what brasso and elbow grease can do!  Once that was done, I had to figure out how to do the rewiring. That was tricky, but I finally got it all back together again, put in a new light bulb, and "Voila!" It worked!  That is, until I tried to turn it off.  The new (used) switch that I put into this lamp turned it on automatically, but could not turn it off. I don't know why...it worked fine on the other lamp...so in order to turn off the light, you have to unplug it!  Well, that would never do for a guest room. I can't be asking my guests to unplug a lamp to turn it off! How inconvenient! 

So, I put it in our bedroom, next to our bed on my side: (Oh, there's Baby Elva! Yes, that is where she's been hiding ever since we moved here...)  Anyway...I will purchase a NEW electrical set for this lamp and redo it eventually, but not today. I'm tired.

I realize this is a long post for a Saturday night. I do apologize. But I wanted to get all this down in writing for my own remembrance as well as for your entertainment.  And now that the guest room is ready...I wonder who the first guest will be to actually use this little room?

I am very tired and getting ready for bed now, but before I do, let me read a few portions from Psalm 16:

Psalm 16

1.  "Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust."

5.  O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.

You maintain my lot.

6.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7.  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons

8.  I have set the Lord always before me;

 Because He is at my right hand 

I shall not be moved.

9.  Therefore my heart is glad,

and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

10.  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11.  You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Thank You, Lord, for Your kindness and love.  Yes, "You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup."   "I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel."Yes, You have shown me the path of life and "in Your presence is fullness of joy!"   Praise the Lord!!  Amen.

Good Night!!

Friday Foto Friends - Welcome Guest!

Welcome Friday Foto Friends!!  I really didn't have anything new and exciting to share this week, so decided to do a little "spring cleaning" and create something to share...here's what I've been doing today:

No, I didn't have a tea party, although that would have been nice! Rather, I've been springing some sunshine into our guest room...out with the winter/bear crossing cabin look, and in with the fresh spring and summer motif.


Before:   This fun Bear Country quilt was a Christmas gift from my sister in law...and we have been enjoying it in the guest room, which I have lovingly dubbed the "Bear Crossing B&B".  But with the bright sunny days of spring and summer upon us, it was time to brighten this room up a bit and get ready for any guests who may want to come and spend some time with us...

So here's what I did today:

It's still the Bear Crossing B&B,

But these cute little bears are enjoying a little tea party on the bedstead with the old fashioned Prairie Doll...

(Can you tell, the cute little bears were gifts from my sister at some point in time)

And the Prairie Doll was a gift from my brother in law many years ago...

These two darling girls are enjoying a walk together...

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.

Just walk beside me and be my friend."

by Albert Camus

And this fun antique picture was originally from my maternal grandparents' home...and used to hang in my Mother and Dad's guest room for many years.  (Click HERE for more about that.)

Here's a lovely little lap quilt if you feel a little chilled (created by a dear friend)...(we don't have a radiator as mentioned in the poem above...)

Or you may wish to cover up in this vintage wedding ring quilt and take a nap...

And if you're a little afraid of the dark, just turn on this charming church night light and it will calm your mind and help you sleep...

Psalm 4:8 (NKJV)

8 

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

There are still a few things I need to work on in this room...like removing my son's stereo (unless you'd like to listen to some music?)...and I'd like to paint this little chest of drawers and mirror...maybe add some pop of color or antique it...what do you think? Or perhaps I should just leave it well enough alone?

(Hello there...I see you in the mirror! Ha ha!)

  And that handy bench has a nice stained finish on it...my older son (Ben's Country Woodshop) built that a few years ago...so I don't think I want to mess it up...It's a great place to put your overnight bag when you come visit, or just to sit upon while you put on your shoes to go for a walk with me...

So what do you think?  Would you like to come and share a few of our "breezes"?  (Don't worry, we do have air conditioning...believe me, you'll be thankful for that!)

While waiting for your answer I took a little walkabout the neighborhood with my hubby, and noticed these lovely magnolias blooming (or getting ready to bloom) (actually these are in our yard...in the Secret Garden!)

Also this beautiful Ligustrum bush is blooming in our neighbor's yard:  (very fragrant!)

So, "Hello Guest! and Howdeedo!....This small room belongs to you...All is yours that you like best...You're at home now! Welcome Guest!"

"Y'all Come!"

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies out there. 

Proverbs 31:28-31

"Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praises her;

Many daughters have done well,

but you excel them all.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Now let's hop on over to Deb's Place at Breathing in Grace to see what our other Friday Foto Friends are doing today...      

For some other thoughts on "guests", read HERE  and HERE...which needs some updating as to where we are today, but the dream is still the same...