I have truly enjoyed reading your sweet comments on my post earlier today about my husband’s career change.  Just a few minutes ago, I told him to go read my post and all the kind comments that were left.  He came back in the room smiling ear to ear.  Thank you for lifting him up with encouragement and prayers.

You guys are the sweetest things ever!!!!

Well, January is officially over at midnight tonight, and we will be venturing into the month of love. 

Before we leave the first month of the new year, we need to celebrate what we accomplished the past 31 days!

The first half of the month, you may have been trying to recover from the madness of the holidays like I was.

But maybe we got some stuff done the second half of the month?

Can you believe that I actually didn’t complete a DIY project in January?  Well, we finished our guest bathroom makeover the week before Christmas, and I have been sharing all of the steps of the makeover with you in January.  We did finish our stairs, but I haven’t shared those with you yet.  I’ll share them next week.

So I need you to inspire me with your projects!!!

Please remember to follow the party guidelines:

• Your project MUST be about DIY home decor or home improvement.

• Only ONE project per blogger, please.

• Your project needs to be from the month of January, 2013.

• Please enjoy visiting other great projects by other bloggers and leave some comment love. 

• Please link back to the my party somewhere in your post. (Only those with a link back to the party will be considered to be featured on my blog.)

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Well, I have been wanting to share this with you guys for about two months, but I had to wait until now.

There is a HUGE life change happening to our family in the next few days, and it has to do with my husband.

No, we are not getting a divorce.

And No, I am not pregnant. 

As of tomorrow, my husband is leaving his banking job of 15 years and going into business for himself.

Big gulps.

Now, we will both be self-employed.

This is a huge change for us, but one we are very excited about.

Cy has always known that he wouldn’t retire from banking.  He has always been itching to have his own business.  He is not a “sit behind the desk” kind of guy, which I’m sure you can easily see on my blog.  My man is ALWAYS doing something.

For several months now, he has very clearly and strongly felt God leading him in the direction of starting his own business.  It has been obvious to both of us that God was opening doors for us to walk through.  It has been amazing to watch God work in both of our hearts and guide us through it all.

So even though we are nervous and unsure about all the changes, we KNOW that God is in this and He will provide for us.  {Maybe not all of our “wants”, but definitely our “needs.”} 

Cy will have his own spray foam insulation business called, CB3 Insulation.

He will also be doing home remodeling projects on the side.  Right now he is in the middle of a bathroom renovation and will be doing another bathroom/laundry room renovation in the coming month.  I’m going to try and show you as many of those as I can on my blog.

I have to be honest, it scares me a little for Cy to go out into business for himself.  The economy is not the most stable thing in the world right now, ya know?

Plus, I stay home and only bring in a little money from my blog.

And we are trying to raise four wonderful boys.

It’s a lot of responsibility, and some people may think Cy’s a little crazy to be leaving his bank job.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that my husband will make this work.  He will do whatever it takes to take care of our family.  He has never let me down in 15 years of marriage, and I know he won’t now either.  Cy has the hardest work ethic of anyone I know, and I am thrilled that he is getting to do something he loves so much.

He has faithfully worked at the bank {and on side jobs} so that I could have my dream come true of staying home with our children.

Now I am so happy that I get to see him chase a dream of his own!

It’s going to be exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.  But we are a team, and I know it will work out just fine.

Here’s his large spray foam insulation trailer that now sits in our back yard!

Sooooooo, if you live in central Kentucky, and you need your home or business insulated….Cy’s your guy!

He will also be for hire for renovation projects.    And I may be helping him in some of those projects too!

Exciting times, y’all!!

Thanks for letting me share this news with you!  I’ll keep you updated on all the changes!

Have a blessed day!

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Hello, friends!

I hope you had a great weekend!  Mine was actually somewhat relaxing because we didn’t have any basketball games this weekend.  It was a nice break.

In just a few days, we will be entering the month of February, and I will be hosting my “Best DIY Projects of January” party.

But before I do, I want to be sure to highlight some of the projects that were linked up to my December party.

{Many readers linked up their “Best of 2012” posts, and I think that is awesome!  It provides a great way for you to check out each blog and see what type of projects they do.  If you like what you see, you may want to start following that blogger in 2013!}

Here ya go!

Melissa from The Happier Homemaker shared her Best of 2012!

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Roeshel, from the DIY Show Off, shares how she Painted an Upholstered Chair.

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Claire, from A Little CLAIREification, shares how she made her Burlap Believe Pillow.

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Here’s another adorable Ballard Designs’ Inspired Christmas Pillow from Tara at Mrs. Yellow Hat.

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Doreen from Hymns and Verses shares her DIY Silhouette Nativity Templates so you can make your own adorable display!

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Another beautiful Christmas Mantle from Laura at The Ironstone Nest.

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Jean shares her experience with using Miss Mustard Seed’s Milkpaint at The Backyard Bungalow.

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I absolutely love these Clip Photo Boards that Jami from An Oregon Cottage made!  I think these would be great for my office!  They are easy and inexpensive.

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One of my favorite bloggers, Tricia from Simplicity in the South, shares her Top Projects of 2012.  Check them out!

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Blessings!

Traci

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I sure do hope you got as many laughs from yesterday’s post as I did!  We had so much fun putting together all of our awkward photos for you.

Thank you for joining in the fun.

Did you guess which one I was?

Oh, those middle school years…

I guess we all went through that awkward stage, right?

There were so many of you who were soooooo close to guessing all the DIY bloggers correctly, but finally one person…one blogger…one true DIY fan rose to claim victory!

Please meet the winner of the Before They Were Bloggers Contest:

Sara from Mom Endeavors

This girl knows her DIY blogs because she’s a blogger herself. Please take a minute to congratulate Sara by leaving her a comment on her blog today. She spent a lot of time holding a sick little baby yesterday and clicking back and forth to the different blogs to match all 29 faces with their blogs (she’s quite the multi-tasker isn’t she.)

And now… the moment you’ve been waiting for… here are the match ups.

A. Pretty Handy Girl

B. Decor Chick

C. All Things Thrifty

D. Tatertots and Jello

E. The Lettered Cottage

F. Infarrantly Creative

G. Sawdust Girl

H. Funky Junk Interiors

I. The Idea Room

J. DIY Showoff

K. The Shabby Nest

L. Not Just a Housewife

M. Vintage Revivals

N. Southern Hospitality

O. Young House Love

P. Home Stories A to Z

Q. Beneath My Heart

R. Thrifty Decor Chick

S. House of Smiths

T. The Nester

U. The Inspired Room

V. Songbird Blog

W. My Blessed Life

X. The Shabby Creek Cottage

Y. 320 Sycamore

Z. Just a Girl

# Makely School for Girls

@ Remodelaholic

? Miss Mustard Seed

How did you do? Were you close?

Be sure to check out each blog because most of them will be posting a side by side photo of themselves. Feel free to laugh a little more.

And here’s one more for the road!  I guess I was practicing my robot dancing with my cousin, Whitney?  {I’m on the right.}

Do you like my one piece outfit?

Wow!  Those were the days! 

You are not going to stop following my blog now that I’ve shown you these pictures, right?

hee.hee.

Love you guys!!! Have a blessed day!

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Yay! We have a winner!!! Feel free to keep trying but the prize is claimed.

We’ll reveal who won and all of the answers in an upcoming reveal post soon!

Let’s take a ride in that DeLorean parked outside and go back in time.

Back to a time before there was Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Before chevrons, mercury glass and ombré were hot.

And most importantly, before there were blogs!

We’re going back to when these DIY gals were worrying about how high they could get their hair, if there was food in their braces, and oh no…not another zit!

Talking on the phone for hours meant stretching that long spiral cord beyond its limits and tying up the only phone in the house.

Common purchases for these DIY gals may have been the latest cassette tape, neon bracelets, a swatch watch, and a tube of clearasil. You wouldn’t catch them dead in the hardware store, totally unheard of to the max!

Are you there yet?

Do you see leg warmers or jelly sandals?

You’re getting closer…the time machine has stopped so step out of your DeLorean and behold…the time before blogs:

Do you recognize any of these popular DIY bloggers?

I don’t know how “popular” they were back then. Do you think you could recognize them in High School, Middle School or Elementary School? For sure!

These awkward youngsters will one day be the brains behind your favorite DIY blogs. And they are giving a $300 Lowe’s Gift Card to the first person who can guess which faces match with which DIY blogs.

• 320 Sycamore
• All Things Thrifty
• Beneath My Heart
• Decor Chick
• DIY Showoff
• Funky Junk Interiors
• Home Stories A to Z
• House of Smiths
• The Idea Room
• The Inspired Room
• Infarrantly Creative
• Just a Girl
• The Lettered Cottage
• Makely School for Girls
• Miss Mustard Seed
• My Blessed Life
• The Nester
• Not Just a Housewife
• Pretty Handy Girl
• Remodelaholic
• Sawdust Girl
• The Shabby Creek Cottage
• The Shabby Nest
• Songbird Blog
• Southern Hospitality
• Tatertots and Jello
• Thrifty Decor Chick
• Vintage Revivals
• Young House Love

Here are the details (you must be 18 yrs or older to win):

• Visit the link below where you will be able to enter your guess for each blogger pictured above. (All information will be kept private.)
• The first person to correctly match all the faces with their blog will win a $300 Lowe’s gift card!
• If you win, you will be emailed to collect your mailing address. (Then your prize will be mailed to you.)
• And of course, you will gain bragging rights for being the biggest DIY Blog Fan Ever! Totally RAD, right?!

Best of luck to you, should decide to take on the challenge.

Enter Your Answers

*Special thanks to Mandi of Vintage Revivals who bared her soul about blog puberty, (which seeded the idea to “share” all our awkward photos with you!)

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{Hee.Hee.}

My favorite pins from Pinterest are coming a day early this week because I have a fun, special post tomorrow.  One that I think you will REALLY enjoy, plus you will have a chance to win a $300 gift card to Lowe’s.  Booyah!

Seriously, do not miss my post tomorrow.  You are guaranteed some big laughs!

Here’s a hint:

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Oh My!

Now, here are my favorite pins this week.

Enjoy!

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Have a Blessed Day!

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Hey guys, I was going to show you how I made the shelf ledge on our wood plank walls in our bathroom, but instead, I want to share with you what I am lovin’ today!

Every so often, I feel the need to share these type of things with y’all, and today is the day!

First of all, I found a new yogurt that I am lovin’.

It’s Muller Greek Yogurt, and I get it at Kroger’s.  I like to have a little “crunch” with my yogurt, so I love the ones that come with caramelized almonds or granola.  So, so yummy!

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Secondly, I’m lovin’ me some drink mixes!

I am making the effort to drink more water this new year.  {It’s killin’ me.}  Usually I keep Diet Cokes in the can in my fridge, and I hate to admit this, but I would drink 4-6 cans a day.  I know.  It’s terrible for me.

So I have stopped keeping them in my fridge, and I am only buying water instead.  Now I know that it would be best for me to just drink plain water, but I’m not there yet.  Baby steps, people!  So to help me still have something sweet to drink with my meals, I have been enjoying buying flavor packs to put in my water.  Here are some of my favorites.

I love the Crystal light “energy” drink mixes because they have some caffeine in them.  I need a little caffeine in the morning since I don’t drink coffee.

I also like their “focus” drink mix.

And to help me from buying too many McDonald’s Cokes when I am out and about in my car, I have been keeping these in my purse…

Berry Pomegranate is my favorite.  And I also like their “Fit” line.  It has vitamins and electrolytes in them.

Anyway, these have really helped me to drink more water lately, and I am glad about that.

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I’m also loving this mascara…

This is the best, y’all.  I’m serious.  Get it.  You’ll love it.  You’re welcome.

{I’ve tried many mascaras, and this one is the best by far!  It makes your lashes look luscious!}

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I am lovin’ my daddy!

Ladies, I just cannot tell you how blessed I am to have this man as my dad.  I loved and adored him as a child, and I love and adore him even more as an adult!  He is sweetness, and goodness, and love all wrapped up in one wonderful package.

I know that it has been through my father’s unconditional love that I have been able to recognize and accept the unconditional love of my heavenly Father.

He has been our rock since Mom passed away, and he has done everything he possible could to keep our family together, just like mom would have wanted.  I don’t think I have ever met someone with a bigger heart than my dad has.  He loves his family more than anything in this world.

Thank you, Dad, for always loving me, always encouraging me, always believing in me, and always being there.  There is none better!  xoxo

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I’m loving the thought of this…

Come on, Spring!   I can’t wait to see you again!!!

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I am lovin’ this song by Colton Dixon called You Are.  (Do you remember him from American Idol?)

Here are the lyrics. The words that are in bold are my favorite part of the song. I seriously have to hold my hands in the air when I hear it. I turn it up REAL loud in the car, and the boys and I will sing it at the top of our lungs!

I’m writing this post in McDonald’s right now and listening to this song.  I swear I am gonna have to sit on my hands to keep from raising them!

YOU ARE

When I can’t find the words to say how much it hurts
You are the healing in my heart
When all that I can see are broken memories
You are the light that’s in the dark

Chorus:
You are the song,
You are the song I’m singing.
You are the air,
You are the air I’m breathing
You are the hope,
You are the hope I needed.
Ohhooohh

You are

And when my circumstance leaves

me with empty hands.
You are the provider of my needs.
When all my dirtiness has left me helpless.
You are the rain that washes me.

Chorus: (2x)
You are the song
You are the song I’m singing.
You are the air,
You are the air I’m breathing
You are the hope,
You are the hope I needed.
Ohhhhooohh

(x2) If I had no voice,
If I had no tongue,
I would dance for you like the rising sun.
And when that day comes and I see your face.
I will shout your endless glorious praise!

Chorus: (2x)
You are the song I’m singing.
You are the air,
You are the air I’m breathing
You are the hope,
You are the hope I needed.
Ohhhhoohhh

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What are you loving today?!!!

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