It's Take A LOOK Tuesday!

What exactly does take a look Tuesday mean?  Well, in short...lots of photos!  LOL!  I have been very busy around the house spiffying it up for my first "launch" party and want to give you a preview of what my guests will see.

First, I cleaned off the porch outside because it was dirrrrrty! Take a look at it now!

Much better!  I still have some tweaking to do to the right of the front door but let's see what I've done so far.

Nothing new really, I just added my faux yellow daffodils for a pop of color.

I'm thinking this little ivy pot needs a bow instead of Mr. Roo.

Wow!  My old spring wreath really looks great now, on the "black" door.  This was new for me!

Not a bad start, huh?

Then, I got to looking at my pots around the front entry.

I pulled out all the dead stuff and decided they looked just too bare like this. 

Soooo....I made a little trip to the local greenhouse and...

This is what I came up with.  Again, much better!

I chose mostly succulents for these pots this year.

I liked the colorings of the leaves and hope they will do well in our hot sunny summers.  I spotted a few spring flowers in the yard and thought you might like to see them too.

Very pretty! My Iris's haven't started to bloom yet, but I bet it won't be long.

I filled these pots with Geraniums and have two more for the back porch.  I had to bring them inside last night because it got so cold again and I didn't want to take any chances.  LOL!

Much better right?

Inside my mantle has a bit of green and spring!

I had to switch the chairs here by the fireplace again and put my club chairs back.  I could not rest my laptop comfortably on the arms of my other chairs that I had here.  Oh, the joys of blogging!

I ended up moving them over here where I had put my butterfly bamboo chairs.  Those went back upstairs but they may end up in the dining room again later by the mirror where I used to have them last year.  What goes around comes around right?

 

Right now I have the end chairs to the table here to make room at the party.  I just love having moved this mirror and marble table back to where I had it.  It looks so much better in this spot and the china cabinet fits better then I had thought it would on the side wall.

This is what I have been preparing for.  I am quite nervous!  Please say a prayer things will turn out well if you are so inclined, I could really use it!  I found this fabric I have been saving to make something with and realized it was the perfect size for a tablecloth.

I finally finished redoing the tray that was the duck tray.  I repainted it and added burlap to the bottom. 

I even gave it a nice warn finish.  I really like how soft my display looks.  What do you think?

Now I am off to finish spiffying up everything you didn't get to see.  Shew!  Thanks for stopping by and

taking a look!

I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Mary

Are you a list maker?

Photo courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

How do you like the image above?  I like it quite a bit and that is why I have chosen to use it for my

 Mary's Meditating Mind

posts on Mondays. 

I imagine these Monday posts are going to encompass quite a broad spectrum of topics as my mind is always thinking about things, often too much, sometimes not nearly enough.  LOL!

I had actually prepared a different post for today on the subject of increasing "apathy" in America.  However, I have decided to delay that for another time.

1.) I am not convinced anyone really cares about reading about apathy..no pun intended.

2.)  I have decided it may a bit too heavy for a Monday morning read.

3.) I really need to refocus on collecting my thoughts (tasks) for the week ahead.

Which brings me to my question.  Are you a list maker?  I am or was!  It seems lately I have flying by the seat of my pants and let me tell you, things do not get done in our household that way.

So today I plan to take a moment to jot down my To do list.  See where I am so far!

 I have been on my husband for weeks now about the virtues of list making.  Perhaps I need a reminder myself of why lists are so good. So here's my list of why to make a list.  Ha ha!

1.) It gives you the big picture of all you have to do.

2.) It helps you to prioritize the importance of each task by deciding which to do first.

3.) Having a sense of priority can calm you when facing increasing pressure.

4.) It can help you to stay on track (or on task)

5.) It can give you a huge sense of accomplishment when you scratch something off your list!

I could go on an on about the virtues of list making but instead really need to meditate a bit more about my list for this week.  I  really don't mind those daily lists so much, it's those project lists that get to me.   The main issue I have about that is having the list laying around.  Where to keep it?

This is currently the notebook I am using for my household lists.  I think I will keep my project lists in here too.  I've tried having a separate book for projects before but would forget about it.  LOL!

This is the notebook I am using for my business, they highly recommended keeping one of these in addition to the large binder style notebook.  Shew!

I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool to keep a project list handy on your blog?  I wonder if there is a widget for that?  Then, I thought better as I would likely have quite a few unfinished projects sitting out there for all the world to see!

Well it's been fun letting you into my mind for today.  What's up with you?  Anything?

Any ideas on where to store your ongoing lists?

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great Monday!

Mary

  

Who is your Rock?

"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  - Romans 10:33

"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." - Isaiah 28:16

 

I thought I might start with these verses as a "building" point to begin sharing the love of Jesus.  I felt like it would be good to start here to point out and remind us about the importance of trusting in Jesus.

  We are shown here in both the old and new testaments that Jesus is to be the rock of our foundation as Christians, he is the cornerstone.  We are also assured in both of these verses that when we put our trust in Jesus we will not stumble or be dismayed. 

 Knowing that Jesus is the precious cornerstone given for us to build our faith upon, wouldn't you like to know more about who he is? 

 I often use the term "He is my rock!" to describe my husband because that is how strongly I feel about him and our relationship.  I am reminded today that I already have a rock provided by God that is the first and foremost.  It is upon this rock that all other stones can rest securely and build upon.  Do I convey that message often to others?  Do you?  Who is your rock? 

Thanks for "Sharing Jesus" with me today, I do appreciate your visit and hope you have a very blessed afternoon!

Mary

Winner! Winner! Winner! Announcement!

It's time to announce the winner of my giveaway!  Actually it's past time but I am sure most of you will understand that I have had quite a bit going on earlier this week.

Anyway,  I am so excited for this winner because I know how much she loves pretty jewelry!  I have seen some of her jewelry style in her posts before and know she will really appreciate a great statement piece.  So what is she getting?  Well, that has yet to be determined, because I am going to allow her to choose.  I am giving her $30.00 to spend in my Initial Outfitters store.  So dear, you have some shopping to do!  I cannot wait to see what you select!

I used the random generator to choose and the winning number was...

Number "8" !!!  Congrats!!!

So who is number 8?  Let me show you what she said...

Congratulations Liz of Savvy Seasons!  I hope you will enjoy the prize!  Please email me your choice as soon as you decide.  You may go to my online website to browse our selections.  It is..

www.initialoutfitters.net/marykeels

Thank you to each of you that entered and posted my giveaway on your side bar!  I really appreciate it!  I had mentioned having a giveaway from CSN Stores coming up but have decided to delay that for another time.  I do apologize but am very busy lately and did not feel I could give them the exposure that would do them justice right now as I am trying to stay focused on my own business adventures.

I also want to send a special thank you to Pam at DIY Design Fanatic for helping me figure out how to post the random generator on my screen.  She so generously gave me step by step instructions that I will be able to use for other applications as well.  I am so grateful for her and all the other wonderful and supportive bloggers out there!  You are the best!

As always, I do appreciate your continued support and a special thanks again for all the prayers and condolences sent our way this past week! 

May God bless you all!

Mary

Game On Tablescapers!

I've included  a little fun at the table tonight.

Because sometimes you need a laugh to lighten things up at the end of the day.

So are we playing games or eating dinner?

How about a little bit of both!

Let's see who all were expecting.

The Marlboro men showed up and have invited a few of their friends...

...like the Queen of Diamonds...

... and the King of Hearts...

...and the Ace of Spades.  I am sure they are all going to show up.

The Joker has decided to join us in spirit only tonight, hopefully!

The table is set and ready for the games to begin.

Nope, this wasn't a trick, there will be no utensils at this table tonight.

Only a few serving pieces to be used with other dishes to be set out.

Can you guess what were having tonight?

Or what were playing?

Well it's not, "What's for Supper" that would be too easy!  It's called, "What's on the Table?"  One of our favorite games from when the kids were little. 

The first player only gets to name the first letter of something on the table and then each person takes turns guessing what it is, and continues around the table until someone gets it right.  The person who guess's correctly get to go next.

Because sometimes the King of Hearts needs to remember why he is such a great playa!

I am joining Tablescape Thursday today for a little R&R.

Hope you enjoyed the fun!

Mary

Eleven Super Foods for Wellness Wednesday

I want to thank each of you for such kind words of condolences about the loss of my father in law.  He was a wonderful man and we will miss him so much.  The last few weeks of his life were very hard for us because the effects of the cancer were rapidly taking over.  It was very difficult to see this healthy vigorous man in his 80's change so quickly, but that is the reality of cancer.  Cancer is a thief and can steal everything!

Today is Wellness Wednesday here at The Decorative Dreamer but I don't want to make this post about Cancer.  I do not want to honor or glorify or pay any tribute to Cancer whatsoever quite frankly! I want to talk about good health.  My FIL was always doing things to keep him in good health, like eating healthy and exercising regularly.  It was a part of his daily routine.  Sadly, they are not mine yet, but I really want to work on that more.

I woke up early again, unable to sleep through the night and began watching TV.   Those late night infommercials were calling my name.  I saw one that really was very convincing.  If I were a wealthy woman I would most likely try this product.  It was for Nopalea by Trivita.  It's basically a juice drink made from the Nopal Cactus fruit.

photo courtesy of the Daily Talk Forum

  The juice is supposed to be a super drink to help heal the body of quite a bit of toxins.  They talked about how these toxins build up in the body and over time can cause all sorts of problems. 

 According to this infommercial , one of the main problems that these bad toxins are creating is chronic inflammation problems throughout the body.  This is when I really started to tune in.

photo courtesy of inflamation-information.com

At 45, I already wake up everyday with soreness and pain from what I presume to be arthritis.  I take Tylenol everyday, sometimes even twice a day. Even still, I have a lot of muscle stiffness that is even worse after I do anything strenuous.  Sore in much of these areas shown here.

photo courtesy of chronic inflammation.com

  Anyway, back to the infommercial, when they started talking about chronic inflammatory issues really wreaking havoc on people I decided I just might have some of this so what could I do about it?  Well I could order up this product and raise our debt levels even higher then they already are or I could google "chronic inflammation" which I did.  I saw there was tons of info regarding this health problem and from there began to google anti-inflammatory diets. 

I found a great site that listed 11 super foods to include in your diet to help fight chronic inflammation.  So, I will be off the grocery store today to pick up some of these foods.  I found the following list with additional info on each food at www.dlife.com.  It is a diabetes website, my mother would be so proud of me!  LOL!

1. Salmon

2. Grass fed Beef or other animal foods

3. Olive Oil

4. Salads

5. Cruciferous Vegetables

6. Cherries

7. Blueberries

8. Turmeric

9. Ginger

10. Garlic

11. Green Tea

All of these sound easily doable to me except the grass fed beef might be a little tricky to find.  I have long ago decided that trying to use natural products to help heal and protect the body is a great approach to start off with.  These everyday foods certainly fit in great with my outlook.  I still may look for some type of cactus additives too, IDK.  I read online that someone living in Mexico said they use those quite regularly in their foods and and have always heard them to be healthy but they are not these super expensive products we are being sold.  So, hmmm???

Before I leave, I also want to share one other anti inflammatory recipe I found here at;

www.drannwellness.com

Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

(serves 2-4)

1 cup of frozen blueberries or mixed berries
1 banana
2 diced kiwi
8 oz. of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with live cultures
1 cup of ice
2 TBS wheat germ or flax seed
¾ cup Pomegranate juice or 100% fruit juice of choice

Blend until smooth (kids love smoothies and they are a convenient way to get lots of super healthy fruits in them).

This sounds delicious doesn't it?  I think so! 

What about you?  What do you think about chronic inflammation or are you already tackling this?  Do you regulary eat any of these foods above?   I would love to hear any of your thoughts and for you to share what you are doing to combat this health issue. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

 I hope you have a very Happy and Healthy Day!

Mary  

Today for my first Sunday post I have a very special and deeply personal entry.  I debated much over whether to share this with you or not because it is so personal. However, because I have promised to continue posting my blog in a whole new direction, I felt it was especially appropiate today for:

Sharing Jesus Sunday

Illustration from ”The Sunday at Home”, 1880

I am sharing Psalm 23 with you today because our family is in the valley this weekend while morning the loss of my Father in law who died on Friday afternoon after a long and courageous battle with Pancreatic Cancer.  The good news is, we know he is not in the valley any longer and is now in the house of the Lord!  He was a Christian and one of the finest examples of a man of faith that I have ever met. 

We will all miss him dearly and look forward to the day we all meet again!

This Psalm while often one of the most dreaded of all verses should give each believer a sense of comfort and hope.  I encourage each of you to take the time to study and enjoy these verses while you are in greener pastures and to build upon the foundation of your faith!

Please keep our family in your prayers today and the days ahead.

Thank you!

Mary



I got a new doo!

Hi Yall!  I am working on my second post with my new schedule and that means it's;

Free Friday
(really need to learn how to make some cute buttons)

here at The Decorative Dreamer.

I get to post about whateva!

I've spent this past week getting all my ducks in a row, hope they will stay that way for a little while.

I've been very busy marketing the new business and have a couple of bookings for April.  One is very large and will be a great way to start off the month.  I've also got a few ladies who are testing the water for doing catalog sales in their offices.  I hope those work out for March.  This means labeling and tagging out everything.

I made these cute decorative labels in a snap using a free template from Avery.com.  I bought the labels at Walmart and just went to the website on the back of the package.   Still waiting on free business cards I have coming in from Vistaprint.com.  Free templates there too, and I only paid for shipping!  Woohoo!

  I have purposely not been booking anything for March due to the very poor health of my FIL. I would hate to have to cancel on a host, so the office orders will be a blessing.  I have set up a facebook page called Mary Keels Initial Outfitters that you can "LIKE" if you want if you are on facebook.

Also, I wanted to remind you that I am updating my blog with photos of my own collection often under  the Decorative Dreaming with Initial Outfitters tab beneath my header. Look for more photos, like these.

In addition, I've been working on that tray picture I bought because I want to transform it for my displays but I am having a heck of a time getting these little nails out of the cork board without totally destroying it.

  This will have to be a project you work on for a bit then put down and pick up again later, very frustrating! I really thought it was going to be much easier, and I think there is glue behind this cork too.  I will get there though!

So here's the newest BIG change that I did to help me get my ducks in a row.  I got a new haircut!  It has been a long time coming!  My hair was getting way too long and way to time consuming to style.  Hopefully with this shorter doo it will be easier for me to dry and style a lot quicker.  

Terrible photo I know, but let's try and focus on the hair okay?  LOL!  What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you are looking forward to a great weekend!

Mary

Reclaiming My Blog!

 I want to tell you about a new direction I am taking for my blog.  I am very happy that I took some time to stop and rethink about why I am blogging.  I want to share why I did this and what I have discovered.  I am considering this my very first post for;

Wellness Wednesday

Until now I have been blogging by just following along with whatever has been going on in the community of bloggers that I follow.  While I have felt very secure in this little group of of bloggers, (yes, we are only a small portion of the blogging world) and I have enjoyed developing and renewing my creativity in ways I hadn't imagined, I have allowed blogging to take over my life rather then reflect my life.  How did this happen?  I have two theories here; 1.)  I think it was because I was too busy trying to keep up with all the partys I enjoyed joining in.  They were a lot of fun and exposure but not always convenient to my own schedule.  2.) I didn't have my own guidelines set in place already.  Basically, I have been blogging for my readers but not necessarily for myself always.  I didn't even know this was so important to me, but boy do I believe so now!  Let me tell you why!

Blogging too much for your readers can be a double edged sword.  While it may help you to increase your blog numbers and make you feel great, it can also enslave you to what others want to see.  Let me explain, we all want our readers to be interested in our blog and continue to follow but it can be quite unsettling when you find yourself in the midst of a fall from grace.  Suddenly, the comments aren't there from those you are used to hearing from or they are few and far between when they do come.  Then you find out you are no longer on someones blog roll because they are just not that into you.  Why?  Who knows?  It can be a fickle world out there in blog land!  It's especially hard when you thought that someone was a real friend and would support you always with your own blog.  Yep, it can happen!  It can make you question every blog friend you ever have and their motives.  It is a very awful place to be and can literally suck the joy right out of you and your blog.  I know this because that is what happened to me.

  I know some may think I'm being negative to speak about this, but the truth is I am a realist.  I always have been so and do NOT live with rose colored glasses on, my life has never allowed me that luxury!  I have however, attempted to let my blog survive that way by attempting to keep everything pretty and appealing all the time.  Funny thing is, it didn't work for me!  I don't always have pretty things going on and that is not my whole world, so why was I trying so hard to keep my blog that way?  IDK!  Maybe, I was too afraid to leave the comforts of the community of bloggers I have come to know, maybe I was afraid of more rejection if I venture out on my own.  Maybe I just hadn't put that much thought into it at all until now.  Why now?

Because under the weight of my own personal trials and endeavors that are going on in my personal life combined with the negativity in our own blog community that everyone has been posting about caused me to collapse.  It has caused me to question my motives and every one else's too.  It made me question if I have done anything wrong.  Seriously?

Then it occurred to me, if I had really done anything wrong, it was that I have been blogging FOR everyone else.  I was not really showing my readers who I truly am, by following the crowd!  Also, that I have been letting my blog monopolize all of my time to do so.   By understanding this small but crucial detail I realized how easy it is for others to develop their own perceptions of how one may or may not be based only on what they have seen on your blog.  Without taking the time to truly get to know another blogger, it's easy to make assumptions based on what you read, even though we all know what they say about assuming.

  I now consider it a blessing to have gone through this most recent slump in my blog life.  I think somebody must have been praying for me!  Fortunately, any time you shine a light into the darkness you show things that originally you could not see.  What I had not seen was that because I was trying to please my followers too much, I was not pleasing myself.

This is my blog and I own it, well me and blogger anyway!  LOL!  From here on out I blog as I please, when I please and about what I please, and if you are still following me, God bless you!  I have given myself a schedule to follow that I hope will help me manage my time blogging and may also better help my followers really know whom I am.  This is not my own idea, I have seen many bloggers doing this, making their own schedules.  Sure wish I had done this from the start!   My guidelines may change over time, but here's the new schedule I created for myself for now.  I have also put these on my tabs page with more explanation, so here's what I intend to follow;

Sunday- Sharing Jesus

Monday- Mary's Meditating Mind

Tuesday- Take a look Tuesday

Wednesday- Wellness Wednesday

Thursday- Tablescaping Dreams

Friday-Free Fridays

Saturday-Skip A day

I may join a few partys again eventually, but for the most part I have decided to pull back on most all of them except for one that I have always truly enjoyed over the past year.  I even committed a whole day just for it.  I may not ever be amongst the best of the table scapers out there and may not even participate every Thursday, but I will not give up something that I found has brought me so much joy in my life.

I plan to blog only as I feel the urge to do so, using the guidelines set forth.  This means I may or may not blog daily.  Some days I may blog more often then others some days not so much, but you will know what to expect on those days when I do.  I am in control now and if you are here I hope you will enjoy it, but if you leave I will still carry on because this is my blog!

 

 Thank you so much to those of you who continue to follow and support my blog.  Atleast, now I know if you are here it is because you want to follow ME.  Now do you understand why I am considering this a Wellness Wednesday post?  Because for me to continue enjoying my blog, it's got to truly reflect ME.
 
Free Fridays will most likely keep you updated on my life's goings on's, including my new business.  There's still time to enter my giveaway here, if you missed it though. 

  I am very happy to be restoring "JOY" to my blog life, and hope you will enjoy too!

Mary

It's All about Networking

Hi friends! I am taking a break from blog world!  Luckily for me I have a few wonderful real life friends who understand the importance of networking.  They have opened their doors wholeheartedly to my newest business adventure and are looking forward to helping my business grow.  In this economy it takes the support of every friend you have to make it!  Seriously!  The majority of women that I know of who are successful have often done so because of the help and support of friends along the way. 

I am very blessed to have made many connections through Facebook with many ladies I have known since I was in elementary and middle school.  When I joined Facebook originally it was to keep watch of my own children online.  I have enjoyed seeing my friends list grow as more of my old friends and acquaintances began getting online too.  Now I am very pleased to see that many of these old friends are eager to help me in my business adventures as well.  I am very hopeful things are about to take off soon! 

  I am truly grateful to those of you here who have enjoyed your visits with me and have genuinely supported me every step of the way.   I have enjoyed sharing my home, tablescapes, thrifty shopping, creative writing and life in general.    I feel the most blessed, to have also developed a few very special friends here in blog land! 

I have decided to put the breaks on my blog for awhile.  I will be putting forth my efforts where they will be most beneficial to me at this time in my life, getting my business off the ground and attending to my families needs.  

 My life is not a photo shoot or cover for a magazine spread and it is not my goal to appear that way, though I have enjoyed learning how to improve my photos.   I am happy to know I have always been honest and straight forward about how I have represented myself and my life, even though it has not made me a very popular blogger.   It takes a considerable amount of time to blog, post photos, comment, follow and respond to those who follow me.  I am tired of the juggle of my schedule around blogging, discouraged by the negativity of ridiculous perceptions lately, and am looking forward to a break from the responsibility of continuous blogging.  In addition to focusing on getting my business off the ground, I am also dealing with my FIL who is in the very late stages of Pancreatic Cancer.  Since my plate is very full right now, it is time.  I just wanted to clue you (my blog friends) in on the upcoming absence of posts. 

I will be back after the 28th to announce the winner of my giveaway only.  Odds are still pretty good for those of you who entered.  Apparently, not too many of you in blogland want a free monogrammed gift. Go figure!  I do want to leave you with one final pic though. I thought some of you might want to see my display I worked on some today after my personal samples came in!

  Again, I really do thank those of you who have always supported me along the way!  I will see you on your blogs, for now! 

Many Blessings!

Mary