Hey guys!

Let’s talk dark wood today. 

Let’s talk about working with what you have.

You see, our home is filled with dark, stained wood.  Is it my preference?  No, not really.  Actually, not at all.  But, if you have followed me for very long, then you know that my husband loves dark wood.  He also loves for things to stay the same.  He is good with buying something and keeping it until forever.  He is a man of little change.  Bless his heart, and then he married me who loves changing things up on a very frequent basis.

So, let’s talk about what is dark in our house…the fireplace, the kitchen cabinets, the banister, all bathroom cabinets, and the massive entertainment center in our living room that my husband loves.  Oh, and our leather sofa and loveseat are dark. 

Do I love white cabinets?  Yes.  Would I love a different entertainment center?  Oh yeah!  Would I paint the fireplace if I could?  Yes, probably.

But, I can’t change any of these things because it’s not just my house.  So, like I have said to my friends in the past, I work with what I have and am happy and content.

When working with dark wood, but wanting to make things as light as possible, make sure to use neutral accessories.  I have neutral wall colors throughout the house (except for my husband’s study and it’s Navy Blue).  I use neutral linens, neutral pillows, neutral accessories.  If I have something dark, I try to place lighter things on it or around it to make it seem lighter.

Using the lighter things tones down the darker things.  At least, in my eyes it does.

This end of the room is lighter than the other end that holds the entertainment center so I add some dark elements down here to try and marry the whole room.

In case you missed the entertainment center, it is a favorite piece of my husbands and it will probably be around as long as we are.

  Actually, I am hoping that someday it will have a new home in his study where it would fit just perfectly with the cherry cabinets that are already in there.

So, learn to work with what you have.

There are ways to make things work.

  Don’t obsess about not having what someone else has.

  Be happy and content with what you have and make it beautiful!

And, in the meantime…be the you that God wants you to be! 

Hey guys!

I have one question…

Why in the world did I wait so long to replace the rug in my dining room?

Why oh why?

Until I changed it, and saw it, I had no idea how bad the other one was.  And, how small it was in the room.

Once the rug was changed, it absolutely changed the entire look of the room.  It sort of turned from the ugly duckling into the beautiful swan.  At least in my mind, that’s what happened.

Not only did I change out the rug, I also replaced all of the dark chairs with white ones.  That made a huge difference in the tone of the room.

It’s amazing how one item can make such a difference in the look and feel of an area.

This rug came from Well Woven Rugs. 

I am hoping to pick another for my living room!  I’ll be sure to let you see what I choose.

Blessings friends!

Yes, I like stuff!!

As a matter of fact, I like stuff too much and can really go overboard when I find something I like.

If one is good, then two must be even better, and three or seven must be really great.

When you like stuff, your things can start to look like clutter and nothing really stands out as important.

Periodically, I have to go through our home and even our outdoor area and just purge.  I like to go through the whole thing in my mind of whether I like the item or love the item.  Is it unique and how hard would it be to find something else like it if I wanted to.  In the grand scheme of home decor,  is it really significant or could it easily go.

So often, I feel like there is an emotional attachment to something and I just “can’t” let it go. 

Many times, I feel like my eyes start getting tired and there is no place for them to rest in our home. 

Too much stuff!!

So, what to do.

If it’s an emotional attachment, but you really don’t like or need the item, take a photo of it for a keepsake.

Consider the fact that someone else may really love whatever it is or could really use it.

Often times, after I get dressed and put on my jewelry, I will end up taking one piece off just to scale down a bit.  Do that in your room.  Go through your area and remove one knick knack, one picture, one piece of furniture.  See if it makes a difference in allowing your area to not be too busy.

Sometimes someone else can come into your house and help you see things that you don’t really need.  Things that can cause a room to look cluttered.  Sometimes you just need fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.

Even as I look through the photos of our patio, I realize there are things I don’t need or want anymore.  There are certain things that don’t make much of a statement and are taking away the focus of things that do matter.

For example, my husband built me a beautiful potting bench out of great old wood, and you can’t even really see the potting bench for all the stuff on it.  I want the potting bench to be the focus and not the stuff. 

So, you know what I am going to do…

I am going to go ahead and share these photos, but then I am going outside to do some purging.

Time for my Barn Door outdoor marketplace to get here so I can get rid of some “stuff”.

Be blessed, Amy

Raise your hand if you have ever struggled with self confidence.

Me, me, me!!!

It’s all around us…people who struggle with their appearance. 

Maybe it’s your weight.  Your hair.  Your smile.  Your skin.

All of us, at some point in our lives, are going to struggle with who and what we see in the mirror.

I know I have.

We will compare ourselves with others and will have unrealistic expectations. 

We will not smile as big when having our picture made because we don’t like what we see.

We choose to stay home because we can’t find clothes that we feel pretty in.

We compare ourselves to others.  Yes, I said that twice.

Guys!

Why do we spend so much time comparing ourselves to other people?

Why do we want to be like everyone else?

  Why are we not just good enough?

More importantly, why can we not see the beauty in ourselves that others see?

But most importantly, why can we not see the beauty that God sees?

The beauty that God created.

We are His workmanship.

We are His piece of art.

We are His DIY.

He made us in His image.

He makes no mistakes.

Did you know that God calls us the apple of His eye?

He calls us beautiful one.

(My cow is named Beauty)

Okay, I know God doesn’t need my help, but I do feel so often that God wants me to call out the beauty I see in others.

He wants me to tell you that you are beautiful.  He wants me to remind you that He calls you beautiful. 

He also wants me to remind you how worth it that you are!  Totally worth it.  And, totally worthy. 

He wants you to know that you are so loved! 

He wants you to smile bigger when you have your picture made.

He wants you to see the beautiful person that you are when you look in the mirror.

He doesn’t want you to look down on yourself, because He created you just the way He wanted you.

I had someone tell me recently that perfection is boring.  What I considered a very unattractive part of me, this person called “character”. 

Can I just tell you what that statement meant to me?  Strange, I know, but it meant freedom for me in an area of my life that I have struggled with for years. 

I took her words and let them soak into my very core.  That’s how much they meant to me.  That’s how freeing they were to me.

Now, I have to tell you that as I typed those last few sentences about perfectionism and character, I was totally reminded that I always say that about things in our home.  I pretty much only buy things for my home that are old, discarded, full of marks and scars, IMPERFECT, and YET…full of what I call CHARACTER!

Isn’t that the coolest thing?  I fill our home with imperfectly beautiful items full of character!

And, that, my friends, is what we are…

Imperfectly beautiful people full of character!

Perfectly created by God…

***Beauty the Cow from High Cotton Vintage Home Furnishings 

***French Canning Jar from Vivi et Margot

Hey friends!

I am writing this while on vacation with my family.  This is one of those vacations that was needed and not just wanted.  Can anyone relate?

Let me ask you this…do you ever have to make yourself rest even while you are vacationing? 

For example…do you make up your bed in your condo?  I used to.  But, you know what…I’m not this time.  I am choosing not to.  I know it’s strange, but sometimes even making up my bed can be a bondage thing. 

Of course, I am still doing laundry, cooking, cleaning…those are things I have to do for the family.  But, other things that don’t have to be done, are not going to be done. 

I have decided to rest, relax, chill, take it easy.  I am choosing to be on vacation while on vacation.  I know a lot of  you understand where I’m coming from when I say I am having to make a conscience effort to just sit and soak.

There is enough work to be done when I get home. 

This week is family time.  Me time.  God time.

It is good!

***I hope you noticed the boxwoods in the photos and how I used them in different places throughout the house.  If you are interested, I’d love for you to take a look at them.  You can go directly to the site where I got them here…Commercial Silk.  To see the boxwoods I ordered, go here…Boxwoods.  They really are a great look and very versatile.

Be well, friends. Chat soon…

I love my mom. 

I could stop there, but I won’t.

My mother is strong.  She is resilient. She is determined.  She is beautiful. 

She is a Survivor of many things!

Today, I spent the day with her.

I walked around her beautiful yard and just admired her hard work.

She has a wonderful green thumb and grows beautiful flowers.

My mother has made her house into a beautiful home. 

My mother has helped make me the woman I am today…

Strong Women...

Strong Hands…

Strong Faith…

And a strong and beautiful watch to glam it all up!

My JORD watch was a wonderful gift that absolutely matches my style.  I am a no frills kind of girl who likes to make a statement in a unique and simple way.  This watch does just that!

Even the packaging was fabulous!!

I was so excited when JORD contacted me about hosting a contest for you guys.  The winner receives a $100 E Gift Code and all other entrants will receive a $25 E Gift Code.  The Gift Codes will expire August 31, 2017.  See link below to enter contest immediately.  Contest will close July 23rd.

To enter my contest, go here: https://www.jordwatches.com/g/farmhousedreamsabk

If you are interested in seeing the watch I chose, go to the link below..

To shop for this watch, go here:  https://www.woodwatches.com/series/frankie/koa-and-ash/#farmhousedreamsabk

Go directly to JORD by following the link below..

To shop the site itself, go here: http://www.jordwatches.com/#farmhousedreamsabk

Interested in giving a JORD watch as a gift?

Click HERE for some beautiful gift ideas!

I am thrilled to share JORD watches with you guys.

  When I find something I love, I want you to have the opportunity to love it as well.