Uncategorized – Old Things New

Our First Christmas at the Lake House

December 20, 2018 by Patti 6 Comments

Welcome to the first Christmas at our new lake house. I know, I know, I’m not your typical blogger who has her Christmas pictures up two weeks before Thanksgiving so as to inspire you in your own decorating endeavors. I’ll admit, it’s taken me longer to decorate this year with all of the figuring out where things will go!

It’s also been hard to get a post up because, as I’ve said before, the Internet speed is incredibly slow out here in the country (they’ve promised that will change sometime in the future) and it takes hours and hours to do just one post.

Since I’ve already spent far too much time playing with my photos I’m going to breeze through with very little talk today and a whole lot of pictures.

I’ll start with the dining room, which is immediately to the right as you come in the front door.

I did a natural centerpiece this year with fresh greens and pinecones on silver and white.

Beyond the dining room is the entry hall.

Which is open to the great room.

The great room is open to our kitchen dining nook.

And right around the corner from that is the kitchen. As you can see, our living space is pretty open here.

The dining nook and kitchen look directly out onto the screened porch, and the lake beyond.

If you were to walk out onto the deck you would see another door which leads into our master bedroom. I haven’t added many Christmas decorations here. Only a small tree and three wreaths above the bed. By the way, you can also get to our bedroom from a hallway behind the kitchen. I didn’t want you to think we had to walk outside to go to bed 🙂

We have many beautiful sunrises at the lake and this is what I’m hoping our company will see on Christmas morning. That just might make it the best Christmas ever!

I’m praying for faster Internet speeds so I can share posts with you more often. In the meantime, I do post updates almost daily on Instagram if you’d like to follow along there.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in the New Year.

Patti

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

Sunday:

SundaysAtHome, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, CelebrateYourStory, Darling Downs Diaries, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends, InspireMeMonday,

Tuesday:

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

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, Faith’nFriends, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, SaturdaySparks

Wilderness Musings

February 23, 2016 by Patti Leave a Comment

We all have them, those times of wandering in the wilderness. Dark times, silent times, dry times. Today I’m guest posting over at Faith ‘n Friends and sharing the positive aspects of those wilderness times we go through. I hope you’ll come on over for a read.

Link up here: Wilderness Musings

Blessings friends,

The Most Beautiful Tree in the World

December 18, 2015 by Patti 15 Comments

Sometimes I think about how much fun it would be to have a tree with ornaments all of one color, or a tree with only one type of ornament. I think about what it would be like to have a very formal tree, or maybe a woodland tree, or a tree filled with nothing but vintage ornaments. Every year though, as I hang my ornaments, I realize that our tree is the most beautiful tree in the world!

Ours is a tree filled with ornaments collected over the years of our marriage and reflects the history of our little family. The ornaments on my tree remind me of the various seasons of my family’s life, hard times, fun times, stressful times, crazy busy times, times when my family members made me feel so proud that I thought I would burst, and times that were filled with love . . . no matter what.

Now that the girls are long grown, and living far, far away, decorating my tree has become even more precious to me as each ornament placed holds a special memory. Yesterday’s post shares one of those memories along with a Bird-in-a Teacup ornament tutorial. Today I want to share with you why my tree is The Most Beautiful Tree in The World.

Not every ornament on my tree is fancy. Many are hand made and even rather rustic. But they are holders of our history . . . like the years that we did community theater together as a family.

Especially the Christmas musicals that made our holidays a bit more stressful but oh, so FULL.

Our tree has some special ornaments on it, like the Thomas Kincaid houses . . .

. . . that my mom gave us as a gift.

Our tree has ornaments from places we’ve vacationed . . .

. . . and places where family members live.

It has ornaments from our former home state . . .

. . . and a favorite University (Go Huskies)!

An ornament that reminds me that we have a wee bit ‘o the Irish in our heritage.

An angel ornament from a family wedding.

This one reminds me of our time living in the Lake House and hubby’s intention to catch more fish!

These two were made to reflect a hobby we share and hope to continue in the warmer waters of the Southeast.

Here is the gift of a nest left on our front door by a very brave bird (filled with one of my velvet pumpkins because who doesn’t have velvet pumpkins hanging on their Christmas trees?).

This is one of a set of ten faux crystal ornaments that I bought when we couldn’t really afford them but they were on sale after Christmas and I wanted their sparkle on my tree . . . still do.

This is a vintage Santa whose face I adore . . .

. . . and vintage cardboard ornaments that somehow remind me of childhood.

We have a whole set of small dolls that adorn our tree because that is the kind of ornament that every little girl loves. They are a bit shabby now from those little girl fingers. I don’t mind.

Something new was added to the tree this year, glittered peacock feathers to match the colors in my living room.

There is more, so much more, that I haven’t shown you but I think you get the idea. By now you know why I will never be able to have a designer Christmas tree in my living room. How could I even think of it when I already have The Most Beautiful Tree in the World? Or is it? A reader recently commented to me that the most beautiful tree in the world is really the one that Jesus hung upon to save a dying world from sin. Wow! This profound truth is one I hope we will all consider during this season of His birth.

My hope for you is that you will find joy in what you already have. It is SO much better than chasing after something you think you need!

Blessings dear friends,

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

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, ModVintageLife, TheDedicatedHouse, HuckleberryLove, CarrieThisHome, Dwellings, ProjectInspired

InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking

Tuesday:

HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, Elizabeth&Co, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, NaptimeCreations, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,

TwirlAndTakeABow, TheWinthropChronicles,

Dream.Create.Inspire.Link, MeCoffeeAndJesus,Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky,Time Warp Wife,Solo Deo Gloria Sisterhood,Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story Titus2Tuesday

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, IvyAndElephants,

TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, A Little R & R, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, FromMyFrontPorchToYours, ADelightsomeLife, AKAWeekendRetreat,

KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, YourTurnToShine, Serving Joyfully/Thriving Thursdays, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy, Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, MissMustardSeed, ThirtyHandmadeDays, CommonGround, TheShabbyNest, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday,

DIYVintageChic, ShabbyliciousFriday, TheCreativeCollection, Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays, Blessing Counters,Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays,Faith & Fellowship Bloghop, Grace & Truth Linkup, Grace&TruthSharingRedemption’sStories, Dance With Jesus, The Weekend Brew

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors,

OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks,
TheInspirationGallery, Still Saturday, The Weekend Brew, Recommendation Saturday, Make My Saturday Sweet

Freedom Friday – on Hospitality – Part Two!

January 23, 2015 by Patti 8 Comments

I was kind of excited last Sunday. The NFL divisional playoffs were going to be on television and “our” team, THE Seattle Seahawks, were playing for the NFC championship, the game that would determine whether or not they were headed to the Superbowl.

“Hold on now,” you say, “Isn’t this supposed to be an inspirational post?” Stick with me here and I’ll get to that!

I was excited about the game but I was also excited because my husband had invited our next-door neighbors over to watch with us and this was another chance to practice hospitality, that thing I’ve been learning more about since moving to the South (for Part 1 on Hospitality you can link back HERE).

“You know that Mark and Kathleen are Packer’s fans,” my husband slipped into the conversation as we were bustling around in preparation.

“What? Oh NOOOOOOOOOO!”

Yeah, you guessed it, THAT was the team we were playing against that day.

If you are a football fan you know that some people can be really hard-core about their teams. I’m pretty hard-core about my team . . . but a nice hard-core,

Our Seahawk Room with our awesome Seahawk tree. Notice the blue and green Hawk feather tree topper.

. . . like having a whole room of my house dedicated to the Hawks. Don’t judge!

I was beginning to wonder how this was all going to pan out . . .

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A new devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

A little DIY Hawk decor

It is easy (or at least easy-er) to practice hospitality toward people who think like we do, act like we do or kinda look like we do. Therefore, we tend to invite people into our lives who are a lot like us. By the way, if you aren’t in the habit of practicing hospitality already that is a very good place to start.

Another view of our Seahawk room. Yes, even the couches are blue!

But what about those who are very different from us, those who have different values or belief systems, those who seem to have nothing in common with us, or who just don’t appeal to our “sensibilities”?! There may even be those we’ve looked down on because of their lifestyle or their circumstances. Oops, sorry, I know none of my readers have done that. But the fact is that I have, and I’m not very proud of it. It was when we found ourselves an integral part of the “recovery community” some 15 years ago, something I didn’t plan on being a part of, or really want to be a part of, that God began to change my heart.

My DIY gittered Seahawk tray

As Christ followers we are called to LOVE. As our Pastor Roy said in a recent sermon, “Love shouldn’t be something we TRY, it is [supposed to be] who we are.”

Love the Seahawk flying over the city of Seattle.

In my last FF post I gave you a list of things I’ve learned and things I’m learning about hospitality. This is a continuation of that list but geared toward being hospitable toward those who don’t believe the way we do. This can be a fellow Christ follower or someone who has a totally different belief system. You can link back HERE if you’d like to take a look at part 1 of the list.

The following are suggestions for you, and for me, to think about:

First of all, when offering hospitality to someone who believes differently it is good to ask ourselves the question, “How is my heart toward this person?” Matthew 9:36 says, “”When he saw the crowds, he [Jesus] had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Ask God to give you a new perspective toward those who are different. Ask Him to show you the way He sees them.
Next, find out where the other person is “coming from”. What is their belief system, upbringing, and experience? Ask, then listen. Connect and be present.
Don’t have contempt for people who are acting according to their nature. If they don’t know who they are in Christ how can they act like Christians? In other words, don’t judge those who don’t know the truth.
Realize that people’s circumstances (i.e., homeless, drug addicted, divorced, etc.) are not who they are.
Realize that no matter where a person is in life, most people just want to be loved.
Imagine how you would want to be treated and then practice grace toward others. Many people have never experienced grace, dignity and love.
When differences arise, and they will if you are sharing your faith, choose your battles carefully.
We can’t push people into thinking the way we do but we can be salt and light to them in other ways – Matthew 5:13-16. Get creative!
Honor people by being gentle and respectful. Titus 3:1-2
Be calm, not emotional in any “discussion”.
Speak only if a difference can be made.
Think carefully about the words you use.
Slow down and don’t try to take people from zero to 100!
Remember how God redeemed your story. Titus 3:3-5
Finally, how do we present ourselves? Are we authentic about who we are?
Be real with your mess-ups! When people find out that you aren’t as “perfect” as you look on the outside they will begin to open up more about the messes in their own lives!
And . . . as shared in part 1 . . . be vulnerable, be goofy, and laugh. We could all benefit from more laughter!

Awesome graphics!

Some questions to think about:

Am I using my corner of the world to practice hospitality toward others (whether that be in my home, the workplace, or the marketplace)?

Do I intentionally try to make others feel better about themselves (not in a phony way but honestly, because there is something good to be found in ~~nearly~~ everyone)?

Am I asking God to help me find the treasure in others?

Do I ask God to give me words of blessing for those I come across on a day-to-day basis?

Am I loving first and asking questions later?

A close-up of my glittery Hawk tray.

The NFC Divisional playoffs were tense here at our house. The Packers dominated our Hawks for the first three quarters and it looked bad for us. I was amazed at how quiet my husband was in spite of the killing we were taking (GOOD MAN). I was SO sad, thinking that our team didn’t have a chance, but impressed by our neighbor Mark who was kind enough to throw in a cheer or two for the Hawks when they made a good play . . . just because he knew how bad we were feeling. In the end, the Hawks came from behind for a wild and crazy win and we did our best to restrain ourselves from becoming obnoxiously ecstatic!

My hubby and our young friend Holly, also from Seattle, in awe of a seemingly miraculous win!

We felt badly for our neighbors and their loss. We are still friends though (I think) and look forward to getting together again soon to see if we can relate on more common ground.

Our gracious neighbors, still smiling after the game.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help us to learn how to practice hospitality to those who are different from us. Show us your heart toward others and give us insight into the treasure within each and every person. Teach us to be compassionate and how to love like You do. Please remind us of the place we came from and break our hearts for those who still live in darkness. Teach us when to use words to speak and when to remain silent. Holy Spirit guide us in all that we say and do.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Blessings to you my dear friends,

P.S. We’re goin’ to The Superbowl!!!

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Freedom Friday – On Hospitality – Part 1

January 9, 2015 by Patti 23 Comments

We waved goodbye to our New Year’s Eve party hosts and climbed into the car.

After settling into his seat and buckling his seat belt my husband turned to me and said,

“Those people are crazy!”

“I know!”, I replied in agreement.

“They are just like US!”, he said.

“I KNOW! Isn’t it GREAT?” (insert happy sigh)

As we are settling in to our new home in South Carolina God has shown Himself faithful in that He has opened many doors of welcome. He has shown us that where His people are there is love, acceptance and even a bit of laughter . . . my favorite thing!

This is us, being crazy, and welcoming in the New Year with a toast of sparkling cider at the home of some wonderful new friends!

Wait! Do we really look this old? LOL!

Many people choose a “word of the year”, usually something they want to focus on being or doing in the New Year. I didn’t even have to pray or think about what that word would be because it has been blaring in my ears for the past two months.

My word for the year is HOSPITALITY.

We’ve always practiced hospitality in our home. Hey, we had the lake house . . . so how could we NOT? So why would God give me the word hospitality? I believe that God wants to take hospitality to a whole new level in the year 2015.

I’m learning a new form of hospitality here in the South, where neighbors come to your door bearing gifts of welcome and invite you to come by for a visit any time; where new acquaintances invite you over for lunch after church to share a bowl of soup . . . and then you end up sharing a whole lot more . . . and leave knowing that this is the beginning of a great friendship; where chance acquaintances round up a team of strong men to come over and carry your 500 pound desk upstairs (16 stairs to be exact) and get it settled into your husband’s office; where people freely give out their cell phone numbers and tell you to call if you need a hand with anything, and they really mean it; where the mailman tells you that if you need to mail out any packages for Christmas and don’t have the postage, just put it in the box for him with a note and he’ll cover it until you can pay him back! Yes, even though that isn’t an invitation into a home that is a form of hospitality or welcome!

Y’all (I really like that word) I’m not saying that people weren’t hospitable or helpful back home because they certainly were, but Southern hospitality is hospitality on steroids and I want me some of that!

So that is my word for the year, but did you know that hospitality is something that ALL Christ followers are called to do (I Peter 4:9)? This means you! This week on Freedom Friday I want to share with you some things I’ve learned about hospitality. The list I’ve created is from many sources,the Allume conference I attended in October, other bloggers, and my own reading . . . but honestly . . . most of what I learned was by example, by observing my own mom who always received people into our home with a warm welcome, and my big sister, who I like to tell everyone is Martha Stewart, but better, because she loves the Lord.

Things I’m learning about hospitality:

If God isn’t in it, what good comes from it? Hospitality isn’t a show. It’s not about you. It isn’t about how big your home is or how immaculate or how well decorated. It isn’t about serving a fancy or expensive meal. It IS about extending God’s grace and love to those you invite into your space, whether that be your home, your church, your community, or even your table at Starbucks!
When people come into your home don’t apologize for the imperfections. Just say, “Thank you.” To be honest, I’ve not quite perfected this yet but it is a new year and time for a new start!
Though some people can pull off spontaneous hospitality (what a gift!) it doesn’t just happen for most of us. It usually takes some planning to create a place that makes others feel welcome.
There isn’t always time for a thorough house cleaning so have a laundry basket to pick up the clutter, keep some baby wipes on hand to clean up the stickies and light a candle. One of the speakers at the conference I attended in October said to cook up some bacon to make your house smell good, or onions if your guests are vegetarians! I like to put a pan of water on to boil with some cloves and cinnamon sticks or burn a lightly scented candle.
Create an environment of comfort, physical and emotional.
Be present. Show up at your own party! Be a gift to those you host.
Listen and ask.
Make it a sacred space, a space where people can share from the heart without fear that their words will be repeated.
Practice generosity by giving of yourself. Be authentic so others feel safe in sharing also.
Be sensitive to the needs of your guests.
Be prepared for hospitality to get messy . . . people cry!
Though it can get hard, you never know what exciting thing might come out of the sharing. Maybe NEW LIFE will happen right there in your den.
Make it your goal to create a place where people will feel better about themselves when they leave your home.
Be crazy! Laughter is good for the soul. (Prov. 17:22)
Finally, don’t worry about how things went when everyone has gone. In the words of Mother Teresa, “God hasn’t called me to be successful, He’s called me to be faithful.”

Hospitality gets easier the more you practice it. I used to scramble around in preparation, snap at my husband and kids, and even feel resentment for having to do everything for everyone else! This is me, being authentic! The Freedom Friday part here is that God has set me free from caring so much about how my house appears to others and caring more about those who come into my home.

Oh how I wish you could come over to my house. I’d love to know who you are, what God has been doing in your life, what inspires you, what your favorite Scriptures are, or your favorite worship music . . . what condition your heart is in. But even though I can’t see you face-to-face, I hope you feel welcome here in my little blogging space. I hope you know how much I care about you and that I pray for you as I write out each of these Freedom Friday posts. I especially hope you know how much God loves you and that He wants more than anything to welcome you into His Presence, because He is the greatest host of all!

PRAYER: Papa God, please give us your heart of love for others and show us creative ways to practice hospitality, whether that be in our homes or out in our communities. Please remove any fear of not doing it right or not measuring up, because fear is not from You. Give us insight into the lives of those we invite into our homes so we will know how best to meet their needs. Give us godly discernment to know when to speak, when to listen, when to be serious and when it is a time for laughter! May you be blessed through our practice of hospitality and may all who enter into our spaces feel better about themselves (not about us) when they leave.

Blessings from the heart,