Motivational Monday

  

Today I needed a little extra encouragement.  It was just one of those days where you ask yourself, “What’s next? What else can go wrong?”.  I know I should never ask that, because sooner or later you will find out… so I decided to go to my favorite book and seek the encouragement I needed today.  You guessed it; my favorite book is the Bible.   I found the words that spoke to my heart, the words that gave me the strength to face trouble head on.

   

I thought to myself that I can’t be the only person who maybe having one of those days too, and needs a little encouragement, so hence we have the birth of Motivational Monday.   

Motivational Monday—The Cross

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1: 6-8

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and  the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12 : 1-2

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth...

Romans 1:16

As the scripture say it,  " The man who finds life will find it through trusting God "

Romans 1:17

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

Proverbs 8:35

May you be blessed this week and find favor in the Lord !!!!

Happy Easter---Rejoice for He is Risen

Happy Easter

What a blessing to know that He is Risen !!! 

I woke up this beautiful day and had this song in my heart and I just had to sing it all day long.  

(Sing along with me, come on you know the tune (smile))

This is the Day ....This is the Day

That the Lord hath made ...That the Lord hath made

I will Rejoice... I will Rejoice and 

be glad in it, and be glad in it .

This is the day that the Lord has made, 

I will Rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day, 

this is the day that the Lord has made !!!!!

HAPPY EASTER !!!!

Tasty Tuesday --- Oklahoma Caviar

Oklahoma Caviar

Can you say YUMMY !!!!  

The first time I had this yummy bean dip , I couldn’t stop eating it.  Seriously,  I had to slap my hands to stop…..

I thought I need to make this at home,  the family will LOVE it…

and as always.. Momma was right…..

 It was a HIT !!!!

What I like is that you can make it as spicy as you want, if you like it HOT,  just add more jalapenos.  

This allows you to adapt it to your guest.

Oklahoma Caviar

1 med onion

2 jalapeno peppers

3 green onions

2 tomatoes

1/3 tsp minced garlic

1 can golden hominy ( drained)

2 cans black-eyed peas ( drained)

1 bottle of Italian dressing

cilantro(chopped)

lime ( optional)

salt and pepper to taste

oops, forgot the cilantro and lime in the picture

Simple steps

Chop the onions.  (  oh the tears.....) , tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos.  I took the seeds out of the jalapenos, if you like it HOT then you can leave some of the seeds.
Mince the garlic.
Toss all of these ingredients into a bowl. 
Drain the hominy and black eyed peas, then add to the bowl.
Pour the Italian Dressing on all of the ingredients.

Mix well.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Optional:  cut a lime in half and squeeze juice in.

Best if chilled for a couple of hours to let it marinate, but at my house it never gets the chance.  You'll see why when you try this.  Serve with chips ( tortilla or Frito chips )

You don't have to be from Oklahoma to love this.
Try it and let me know if you have trouble eating just one bite......

Note:  
You can substitute black beans for the black eyed peas if you prefer or corn for the hominy.
Hand chop the ingredients, this dip is all about the texture.

Element of Fun !!!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

“In Every Job that must be done,

there is an element of fun.”

Mary Poppins

          

As many of you know, I have been diligently working on my 40 bags in 40 days list.  It hasn’t been that much fun some days as you probably can imagine.  I keep reminding myself of that Mary Poppins song

A Spoonful of Sugar

In every job that must be done 
There is an element of fun 
you find the fun and snap! 
The job's a game 

and every task you undertake
becomes a piece of cake
a lark! A spree!
It's very clear to see 
That a... 
Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down 
The medicine go down-wown 
The medicine go down 
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down 
In a most delightful way 

 I don’t think she was sorting files and many years of paperwork when she sang that….. (I need her umbrella to protect me from the avalanche of papers to shred).

I know it’s a little silly, but humming ( because I’m no Julie Andrews) that tune while sorting papers sure makes the job a little easier and gives me that little bit of fun…..

The quail in my back yard after our latest snow fall.  Do you see their little trails in the snow?
(I didn't want to share or bore you with a picture of my avalanche of shredding, so I 'm sharing these beauties)

Have a great week, and remember put an element of fun in your daily tasks!!!

Thanks for stopping by .....

INSPIRING WORDS---A mod podge tutorial

  

 Well, so much for my plan to not do any projects until I " Decluttered my Life"  . I simply could not refuse this paper when I saw it at my local craft store and it is just perfect for the craft room makeover.    I have always wanted some of the inspiring words to hang on my wall so what better way to use the paper with the beautiful patterns and colors.   

      Would you like to have an inspiring word on your wall?  or need a quick gift for a baby shower or wedding gift?  Let me show you how simple this process is.  Once you do one, you will want to do more.  

I promise, because I'm already planning what I'm going to do next.  I know,  get back to your list of 40 Bags in 40 Days.  I will .... I promise (  he he,  fingers crossed) . 

Supplies you will need:

1. wooden letters of your choice.  ( I used 5" letters)
2. Sheets of paper ( I used a different pattern for each letter) 
3. Sandpaper
4. Pencil
5. Scissors
6. Paint
7. Foam Brush
8. Mod Podge ( I used Mat Antique, but you can use the regular Mod Podge.  Either one will work)

      First, I sanded the wood letters just to smooth out any rough edges.  

   Before you paint your letters, turn the letter upside down on the back side of the paper and trace the letters.  Check to make sure to position the letter so that the pattern on your paper is where you want it.

   Then I painted the letters black to cover the unfinished wood plus this will help the color of the paper stand out better and give a more finished look.  ( Sorry I didn't take pictures of this step, but you get the idea )

   I painted the edges and lightly painted the front of the them.  While this is drying, cut the traced letters out , be sure to cut on the inside of the line.

When the paint is dry on your letters, use a sponge brush to apply a light coat of the mod podge on the back of the first paper letter and then position on top of the wood letter. Once you have it positioned like you want it, smooth in place on surface of wood letter. Repeat with each letter.
Let this dry,  then apply a light coat of mod podge on the top of the paper being sure to cover the entire surface.
When the first coat is dry and clear ( 10-20 minutes),  apply another light coat of mod podge to the entire surface.  The depth of color depends on the number of coats you apply.  I used 3 coats total.

    I love the antique mod podge finish.... What do you think?   Oops,  I should have cleaned up my mess..

     

     Hmmm,  I wonder where I'm going to hang them? 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back and check out the progress of the craft room makeover.

 Well, I guess I better get back to decluttering !!!!

Have a Great Day,

Nannie 

  

My Inspiration- Day 2

Day 2:
      As you may have noticed I'm a little behind on posting my results for Day 2.  Let's just say, I have jumped in with both feet.  The dirt is flying as I'm going through every little area of the sewing/craft/work room. I am sorting through every drawer, box and folder and truly asking myself, " Do you really need this?", " Do you really want to save this?", " Are you going to use this?".   If not, it is going bye...bye...

     Believe it or not,  I have actually let some things go.  For those of you that know me,  you know how hard this is for me.  LOL !!!   I have discovered though my main problem isn't letting go of  "STUFF", its discovering projects I want to start and I have to keep telling myself, " NOT UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR LIST OF DECLUTTERING  !!!"   ( we'll see how well I listen to myself...LOL)

     Instead of posting pictures of all my trash/donations, ( because I'm a little embarrassed as to how much there is) I thought I would show you my inspiration for my new sewing/craft/work room makeover.
I really need to come up with a catchy name for this room.

     Originally my room was pink with black and white damask until I discovered these boxes.  Aren't they the cutest thing you have ever seen.  I LOVE them !!!!!!!  I found them at my local variety store and they were inexpensive so I bought all they had left.  ( Which was only 4 of them) 

     I'm storing my buttons in one, sewing thread in another and not sure what will go in the rest.  I'm sure I'll find something for them to hold.  

     Don't forget to come back and see what Day 3 holds for me. 

     Thanks for stopping by and visiting Nannies Attic.  

Have a GREAT DAY !!!!!

   
   

Simple ( clutter free) Life---Day 1

Ready, Set , Go !!!!

     Time to start on the new project to have a clutter free home and life.  First on my list is my Craft Room/ Office Room. 

     Originally this was my youngest sons room.  I loved the size of it and the fact that it has a lot of natural light so when he got married and left home I claimed it as MY ROOM !!!  I never really did any work in the closet when he was at home, so I decided since I had it emptied I would paint it and do some deep spring cleaning and reorganizing it for my work area.

BEFORE :  YUCK- Look at the outdated  panel look  walls :(

   

      I begin by painting the walls a light gray and putting the shelving unit back in and adding to it.  I used shelving units by closet maid. The are quick and simple to assembly and you can arrange them to make your own space work for you.

  

 I used a total of 3 of these units and placed them on top of the horizontal organizer.

Please don't look at the door.  We are getting  new interior doors.
Soon, VERY VERY SOON !!

Love how a fresh coat of paint makes everything look so much cleaner.  I'm so excited to organize my craft supplies in here !!!!

     Its a work in progress and I'm sure it will change as I work on the rest of the room.  I just LOVE the deep red baskets and had to share with you.  

    I think I'm going to need to get more of them, what do you think?

Total Bags Day 1 = 2 bags Woo Hoo !!!!

Who's decluttering with me?  How was your first day ?

Purging for a SIMPLE (clutter free) LIFE

     Do you ever dream of a simple life, one that is clutter free and organized?   A life where you know where to put something because it actually has a home, besides the junk drawer, or dining room table or the bed in the guest room?  I am always dreaming of this, but never knew where to begin.
    I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, but I do have a hard time letting go of certain things.  I tell myself  " I might need that some day" or " One of the kids might need that "and therefore I  continue to hold on to way to much "STUFF".  Do you do that?  The  "STUFF" has overtaken my life and I am going to conquer the "CLUTTER"  once and for all !!!!

    Since I'm a "Pinterest Addict" I started searching for ideas or tips on how to declutter my home and life and came across a lot of them ( of course I did, Pinterest is full of ideas and projects) . Here is where I had to tell myself, "Remember the task at hand,  STAY FOCUSED ".   I found one in particular that I felt fit my needs to keep me focused and on track over at Clover Lane.  Check out her blog and see how she decluttered her home in 40 days.

     I loved the idea that I can personalize the list to fit my needs by breaking it down into small tasks and not feel overwhelmed.  You wouldn't have to go 40 days, you can do how ever many days you want or need.  I didn't think I would have 40 areas that would need purged. I started making my list and thinking about how long each area would take me, and quickly had a list of 40 areas.  OMG !!!  I was shocked, but as you will see in my list I have certain areas that I have listed more than just one day.  ( oops, I think this might be where the hoarder comes in). 

MY PLAN

40 Bags in 40 Days

     I better go buy some big black trash bags, pretty sure I'm going to need  a lot of them. LOL !!! 

     If you knew me, you would know that there will be items that I won't want to get rid of.  When I come across those items I have a list of questions to ask myself to help me make that decision.

1. Do I use it daily?  weekly?  monthly?  
2. Does it have sentimental value?
3. Do I LOVE it ? 
4. Will I miss it if I get rid of it?
5. Does it fit?
6. Is it stained?  or tore?

     If I answer no to any one of the questions 1-5 , it is going in the bag.  Items can be donated or if you like to make a little extra money, you could have a garage sale with the items you are getting rid of.  I will probably will be doing both.  I have a local organization that I love donating to and they will even pick up the items.  How much better could it get !!

   My plan is to start now and by the time Spring comes, I will have my home clutter free and can enjoy the beautiful Spring weather (definitely my favorite season).   

Who is going to join me in this journey to a 

Simple (clutter free) life?

Welcome

Welcome to Nannies Attic......
Here at Nannies Attic you will discover our passion for diy projects and the love of vintage and thrifty items.  
Hope you will stop by again and see what we've got going on here at Nannies Attic ......