Mr. Prof designer home

I thought that going shopping just might make my ‘Heart Smile’,
but that didn’t work…do you ever have times like that?
This has been one of those weeks and nothing is working…
wouldn’t you think spending money would do it?
Oh well, guess there will be many of those days
before we are through, huh?

So….onto my shopping. I went to Richmond, IL (just a few miles away) thinking I’d get some really nice treasures – well out of the ‘used to be’ 22 Antique shops in this tiny little town there are now 5 but in a two block radius there are ‘3’ Italian Bistros!

I found another Dough Riser pan – which makes three now.
I really love displaying things in them instead of wood
bowls or trenchers. I don’t have it placed any where
yet but wanted to show a photo of it.

It measures a great 15 inches and it actually has a bluish/gray porcelain finish – I’m more into the ‘tin’ but this one was in such great condition I couldn’t pass it up….oh, and it’s a 15 inch bowl.

The lady had $65 on it and I asked her what her lowest price would be….she said $50 – I asked her if she’d go $40 and she said how about let’s meet in the middle for $45….
and I know I really got a good deal on this one.

Here are two other ones I already have – I think I will stop
looking now because three is enough.
This was my first one and it’s all tin and I paid $30 for it with a lid as well, and this one is 16 inches

And then this one was my second purchase a few months back and I can’t remember what I paid for it but it doesn’t have a lid and it’s14 inches but in super excellent condition.

Then I stopped at a rummage sale by my house and found these glass jars with zinc lids – actually they are spice jars and are 6 inches tall with the names of the spice in raised letters.

I liked the looks of them even if they aren’t old – but maybe from the 50’s???? Not sure just what I’m going to do with them but hopefully they will fit on a shelf of some kind.

Lately it seems I’m doing everything alone – my husband has been on deliveries for the past two weeks and then several day/into night deliveries in between and then if that wasn’t enough being gone there was a full day of gold and a full day of the Brewers game! Now he’s on another run and Tuesday he leaves for Alberta, Canada. Yikes….and it looks like it isn’t going to end none too soon – they are extremely busy there.
Monday though he’s going with me to Madison to the Market Square Wholesale Show. I really don’t need anything for my business but I’d love to see what is new and upcoming for the seasons and possibly get some ideas.

I’m going to add a new item on my site today – they are Recipe Cupboard Prints and the photos I’m using are actually photos of my 7x Great Grandfather’s daughter’s…they are not pretty gals but they work for the project!

Both are printed on my own hand made parchment paper
and measure 8-1/2 x 11 black wood framed

Here is Althea’s Biskit Cakes
And this will sell for $14.00
(I forgot to change Althea’s dates – I have to do that for the ones I will sell)

And this is Naomi Olin-Smith
with her Potato Pie recipe
And this sells for $14.00

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of sunshine and fun
I’m going out to dinner this evening with my brother/sister in-law.
We’re taking our Stepfather and his wife out for a belated
Father’s Day celebration.

Karen

I was down in Atlantic City, NJ for my work conference recently. The night before the conference began most of the staff went to dinner at Carmine's. They are known for their huge, family-style portions and they don't lie. Look at this stuffed veal chop:


It's like something Fred Flintstone would eat. Yikes! It was delicious, if a little salty. The mashed potatoes were excellent. We also got linguine with seafood in a white wine sauce:


... which was also salty but the seafood was good. By this point we'd also had salad and bread, plus some drinks, so we didn't make so much as a dent in all this food.

Allison sent me to this dining room about an hour before Jen (of the infamous Cake Wrecks), the creator, dropped me a line.



I love the details the most:

These are handmade buttons -- from pennies! Jen has a whole post about how she made them. I love how they look.

She steampunked a gumball machine with bronze and aged copper paint, and filled it with ceramic number balls (I have the corresponding letter balls, but no place nearly as neat to put them...).

Do you like how the light reflects through the glass onto the ceiling? I sure do.

I had to laugh at these drawer pulls -- I've been searching around for a "bin pull + label" handle for a while, and have only found one, which wasn't quite right. Jen just used her existing bin pulls and added label holders meant for scrapbooking -- 5 for $3! The labels themselves with their spidery writing are with a free font called Schoon.

Good job, Jen. Definitely send us an update if you ever settle on the perfect chandelier...

We were out shopping a few weekends ago and stopped at a new pizza place to grab a few slices. I was trying to avoid dairy because I was coming down with a cold, so I had a slice of the Greek salad:


It was delicious. Anything with artichokes always gets a thumbs up from me. This slice had the perfect proportion of toppings and the crust was perfect.

... and he will give you peace ("rest", in some translations). He will bring delight to your soul." ~Prov 29:17

As parents, especially first-time parents, look into parenting books, methods, advice, and try to make decisions about how to raise up their children, there are many opportunities to encounter really lousy advice. It can be difficult, in this age of TV psychologists and celebrity moms and PhD-toting "experts", to know what is right.

Rather than try to lay out specifics, if you are a first-time mom, or just beginning to make some of these life-impacting decisions about parenting and discipline, I just want to encourage you to ask yourself a few questions, about whatever advice you are contemplating.

(1) Does the advice you are following line up with what the Bible says about discipline?

Spend an afternoon at Biblegateway.com and do a word search on "discipline", for example. Read about various parents in the Bible-- Eli and his sons, how Solomon talks to his son as he gives advice in Proverbs, how Samson's parents interacted with him and what those results were. Take to heart the commands given to parents (Deut 6, throughout Proverbs, to church leaders in the epistles about what their kids should be like, in each of the Pauline letters-- how children should act, how parents should train/teach).

Look at the whole counsel of the Word of God as you consider these things.


(2) Do you know anyone in real life who follows the advice you are considering?

Are their kids pleasant to be around? Depending on the ages of their kids, are their young children generally joyful and obedient? Are their teenagers respectful, or rebellious? Are their adult children following God? Whether they have one or many children, would it be pleasant and encouraging to be around a large group of people like their children? This is not to say that there is some perfect parenting formula that will turn out perfect human beings-- of course not!

But on the whole, we should consider the "fruit" of those that we are considering following. If we want to do well in our marriage, we ask advice from people who have made wise choices and persevered and have a strong marriage. If I want to learn to bake or cook well, I strive to learn from those who do so, not from the person who cooks primarily out of cans and boxes, or who doesn't enjoy cooking.

Another point on this score is that internet advice, or book advice, can be good (in fact, I've been spurred on and encouraged by many godly mamas in online form)... but the proof is in the pudding, and it is much more helpful to have solid advice from a person you know and trust, than to have extensive advice from someone "out there" whose life you really don't know anything about.

(3) In general, do the people who follow this advice have families that are joyful? Peaceful? Rested? A blessing to the people around them?

It's not at all that I'm saying everything has to be roses and sunshine, or that godly families won't have struggles or moments of complete and utter humanity and failure. Medical situations come up, seasons of extra pressure or difficulty arise, and of course, we're dealing with sinful human beings (parents and children alike) and no one is perfect! But in general, what is the likely fruit of the advice you're following? Does it match up with what you desire for your family? Does it match up with what the Bible says you should desire for your family?


(4) Does following this advice put you at odds with, or strengthen your oneness with, your spouse?

Unless there is a situation of abuse or neglect (which is an entirely different matter and should be dealt with legally), we should seek to find a place of peace and agreement in how we parent our children, but in the end, we are to respect and submit to the leadership of our husbands. God made men and women different for a reason... and we may not see eye-to-eye on every single detail. Still, though they (and we) are imperfect, He gives husbands & fathers ultimate headship and responsibility for leading their families.

Many times, I have encountered young mothers who put themselves at odds with their husbands over this issue of discipline by taking a hard stance against the very methods their husbands would use. It is not difficult to find young wives online-- especially on message forums or blogs-- husband-bashing because their husbands, ultimately, desire the very thing Proverbs says that discipline will bring-- peace, rest, and delight-- to the home.


There may be other considerations that are important to you, but these are the ones that came to my mind as common "sticking points" for young parents as they consider how to raise their kiddos. I pray God's blessings and His wisdom (He promises to give it-- James 1:5) on you as you seek His guidance in these matters.

Just a quick note to let you know we are off tomorrow bright and early for Mr. Sweet Pea's family reunion in WILD WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA. 13 hours in an SUV with a two year old... I wonder how many times we'll watch Nemo or Monsters Inc... Do you remember family vacations in our day as children? No DVD player that's for sure... My parents used to put a mattress in the back of the family truckster (station wagon) and we (the four of us brats) slept in it all night the night before so they didn't have to deal with us in the am... How times have changed... I'll let you know how it went when we return...

Still making my way through the WBC posts. And appreciating all your sweet comments.

Amazing number of creative women in this world...

Until we return...

Hugs,

Shelley

Today, I wanted to talk about systems, and my love of them! 



One of my favorite “mom” books is Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell.  In it she describes “robbers” that steal our joy as mothers.  It probably doesn’t come as any surprise, but disorganization is one of the robbers she lists.  I know for myself this is true. If ever I’m grumpy, I can usually pinpoint it to disorganization of some sort.

I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the overall mess, and lump it all together into one big blob.  Instead, what I’ve learned that has helped me, is ask myself what it is that’s exactly bothering me and then break it up into parts.

Is it that books are piled up on the furniture?  Toys on the steps?  Shoes in the hallway?  A hamper I always seem to be tripping over?  I name the problem and write it down.  Then I come up with a solution or system for that specific problem. 

Sometimes the answer is really simple and doesn’t take any time at all.  For other things, it might take much trial and error before coming up with suitable system that works consistently. 
 
For the past couple years, I’ve tried coming up with a solution to our drinking problem.  No worries… I’m not talking about that kind of drinking problem.  I’m talking about the kind where everyone gets a new cup every time they want something to drink.  Then they proceed to leave the glass on any surface they find convenient.  Then of course, the next time they get thirsty, the previously used cup cannot be located  and the cycle starts again.  Humph. 

Wisteria has solved our drinking problem!  I found this caddy in their catalog, and promptly ordered. 



It’s what I’ve been searching for all along. 



Whenever our children are finished their drink, they rinse, and put the glass back in their spot.  Simple!  Problem solved. 



And it’s cute.  That counts almost as much.