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TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful

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Sometimes My Hubby Really IS Right

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It can be difficult to put two stubborn people together and make a marriage work (strong willed would sound so much nicer than stubborn but let’s be real).  Especially when you both thought the one you were marrying was nothing but wonderful and accommodating and perfect in every way.  Okay, maybe you never thought he was perfect, but “purtin’ near,” as my dad would always say.

Everything is great in the beginning, until the day comes when you realize your spouse has some flaws, and you try to fix those flaws with all your might, but fail.  Why?  Because,

He. Is. So. Dang. Stubborn. Click To Tweet

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So Close to Amazing Farmhouse-Thistlewood Farms

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I’m writing this post from an unexpected place today.  Flat on my back.  Due to a probable herniated disk the doc has ordered complete rest in order to get the inflammation down.  I’ve been pushing too hard, right through the pain, until this morning when I was nearly brought to my knees in the shower when bending over to pick up my shampoo.

I want to tell  you what I’ve been up to and why I’ve been pushing so hard but today, while I’m “under the influence” -Advil and Tylenol with a Tramadol chaser- isn’t the best time to try to communicate anything.  I’m so loopy I might tell you my deepest, darkest family secrets, and that probably wouldn’t go over well with the fam.

So instead, I’m going to share with you pictures I took at Thistlewood Farms when I went to KariAnne Wood’s book launch party a few weeks ago.  This really is an amazing farmhouse and I only call it “So Close to Amazing” because that’s the name of KariAnne’s new book in which she shares all the ups and downs involved in making Thistlewood Farms a home.

Rather than try to think and type at the same time, I’ll just take you right to the pictures.  Most are not full room views as I tried to zoom in on all of the wonderful vignettes.  MANY of the items KariAnne decorates with are handmade and the tutorials are available on her blog and in her book. Enjoy!

Beautiful KariAnne signing her books.  She really IS beautiful, inside and out!

KariAnne’s own smocked burlap curtains.  Love these!

 

 



I know that water bottle wasn’t meant to be a part of the vignette.

One of my favorite ever DIY’s from KariAnne was this pom-pom pillow.  On my to-do list.



Chandys, chandys everywhere. I think there was one in every room.

 



Kari’s famous recipe plate rack.  I HEART this and I want one.  Mr. OTN?


Isn’t this butler’s pantry fabulous?  It’s where Kari’s refrigerator lives.


This laundry room has long been a favorite room of mine and it was fun to see it in real life.




The guest room.  I would be very comfortable in here today.

The master bedroom where Kari’s own sweet sister was creating artwork for the guests at the party.


Outside on the screened porch we had some live entertainment goin’ on.

Including Kari’s own sweet husband Denny.  He is so proud of her book success.

Mr. OTN came to the party with me and this is where he chose to hang out for most of it.  It really WAS a wonderful place to sit and relax.

The view from the porch.

Finally, here are some other pictures I took outside.

 

The studio.

 

The back porch. Kari painted the design on the floor herself.

Artwork depicting Thistlewood Farms.

If you don’t know Kari and her wonderful blog you are really missing out on something special, and her book, So Close to Amazing, is her personal story of leaving the big city life in Dallas, Texas to live in small town Kentucky.  She shares her joys and her sorrows and her faith in the one who says she is amazing even when she is feeling far less than amazing.  You can purchase the book by clicking on the picture below.  It’s even on sale!

If you do know Kari you probably know by now that she and her family have been called back to Texas and have left Thistlewood Farms behind.  How lucky the person who gets to live in this wonderful home, a place that will always hold a piece of KariAnne’s heart.  Her heart has long been in her new home too though, as they’ve purchased the very home she grew up in.  I’m looking forward to following along as she renovates and decorates this grand Southern colonial.

Speaking of Southern colonials, I’ll be updating you on the status of ours once I get to a place of being able to do that.  A lot has happened during this blogging break of mine.  Soon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of KariAnne’s home and that you’ve gotten lots of farmhouse decorating inspiration and I hope my words haven’t been too jumbled by the pain cocktail I’m under the influence of.  Falling asleep even as I sign off here.

Blessings friends,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!

Sunday:

SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays,RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope,Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends

Tuesday:

TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse,TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles,  Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage,ThreeWordWednesday,  WriterWednesday

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson,MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner,  Thought Provoking Thursday,SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday,ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration,  Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents,  SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet

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DIY Succulent Pumpkins

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Hey there friends.  Today’s post is my very first nod to Fall.  I’m nodding at you Fall but I’m not embracing you, especially after you littered my yard with debris last night.

I’m writing this post as I listen to the sound of chainsaws next door, where my neighbor had two trees go through their roof last night during the windstorm.  We were on the far edge of hurricane Irma’s path but we had heavy winds and power outages.  All I can say is that I’m very thankful that we were spared any damage to our home.

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A DIY Shutter Plate Rack & Something Extra

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I’m late, I’m late for
A very important date.
No time to say hello, good-bye,
I’m late, I’m late, I’m late

This is exactly how I feel today as I pop in to show you a cute idea for displaying plates.

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How to Create an Ever-Changing Flower Arrangement

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NOTE: This is your regularly scheduled Tuesday post, which I finished and walked away from yesterday, neglecting to hit the PUBLISH button. So now it’s Wednesday’s post. 🙂

Did you ever have a toothache when you were a kid and your mother told you to put an aspirin on your tooth to numb the pain?  Did you do it?  If so, just how long were you able to hold the aspirin in your mouth before spitting it out and declaring that the toothache was more tolerable than that nasty aspirin?

I called my-daughter-the-dentist today to ask her about this practice of her late grandma’s and she informed me that she has actually had patients come in with burns on their gums from trying this.  I knew it!   And this is exactly why I never made my kids do the same thing.

“What,” you say, “does this have to do with creating an Ever-Changing Flower Arrangement?”  You MUST know by now that I always get to the point eventually.

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