Out With the Old, In With the New

Oh...plum pudding!  Let me explain.  About three months ago our dishwasher stopped draining and became a "drying rack" instead of a dish-cleaner.  

With just the two of us, we didn't really use it all that often anyway but just the fact that it was pooling water was a little annoying, especially since it's really not that old!  So, we've just tried to push back doling out moolah for a new one and have been washing dishes the good old-fashioned way - with our own two hands.  

So, to add to my plum puddin', yesterday I was making some chicken and rice with our stove, which is ancient and has probably been here since the house was built.  So, she's about 25 years old which in appliance years is, ummm...maybe 100? 

Well, the chicken is supposed to cook at 350 degrees for one hour and after the awful buzzer (which sounds like a dying bumblebee) went off, I noticed that the pre-heat light was still on.  The oven was warm but not the sweltering 350 degrees it should've been.  After my handy-dandy hubby looked at her and she still gave us problems, we knew she was in for.

The point of my story is that no longer can we pretend that an appliance (or two) works fine and "we don't really need it THAT bad...right"?  I could learn to become a chef-extraordinaire using only a counter-top microwave but I have a feeling we'd either starve to death or we'd shell out cash eating out more than eating our "microwave specialties".  On the bright side though (until we see numbers), we've decided we might as well splurge a little and replace all of our appliances since they're all pretty old.  That's what savings accounts are for anyway, right?  New appliances always snazzy up a kitchen too (I've got my eye on stainless-steel)!  We can sell our refrigerator, microwave, and range hood for a few bucks to help out since they still work...as of today that is.  Pray for us and our happy appliance hunting! 

 

T to the Matoes

We have two ripe tomatoes ready to be picked and one almost there...finally! 

Both plants have lots of little green tomatoes so it looks like buying tomatoes is no longer a care of the Tobin family!  I never knew it could be this easy!  I've gone from farmer's daughter watching corn grow to growing a potted garden of my own!  I might have to dabble in growing more fruits and veggies next year!  You can be sure I'll probably be asking for some ideas and tips!

Given For Us

This weekend we made a road trip up to Virginia to witness two of our great friends enter into life together through the Sacrament of Matrimony.  We filled the 28 hours of being in the car with conversations, music, and listening to talks on cd.  One particular talk by Fr. Larry Richards struck me and I just want to share it.  He was giving a talk during Holy Week and was talking about how Christ died for our sins.  I hear that all the time and you might too but this time was different.  Fr. Larry went through the Passion of Christ in a detailed way, from the thorns piercing His brow to the nails being pounded into His hands.  I thought of the movie "The Passion of Christ" while I was listening and realized that every time I've watched that movie, I've watched it like I'm watching a gory History Channel show.  It makes me sad to watch it but it seems I forget that what I'm seeing He did for me!  He was scourged with whips that had sharp pieces of sheep bone on them that literally ripped skin off of His body.  He had a crown of thorns placed on His head that broke through skin on his ears, forehead, eyebrows, and even His skull.  He was stripped of everything He had on, humiliated, and was made to carry a huge wooden cross while bleeding and in excruciating pain up the hill to Calvary.  Nails were pounded through His wrists and feet and He hung, suffocating on the cross.  What's more is that everytime we sin, we shout "Crucify Him".  Wow!  Just thinking about it again makes me hate every sin I've ever committed.  I imagine myself alone with Him on the hill of Calvary just staring up at his bruised and beaten body, staring into His eyes.  His pain is personal.  It was done for me and everyday I take that forgranted.  How many times in my life have failed to acknowledge Him? 

He paid for our sin with His life and opened up the gates of heaven for us.  But, we have to choose Him!  It's our choice by the way we live our lives whether we will enter into heaven or be miserable in hell for the rest of eternity.  Today's gospel said that 'the road to perdition is wide and many take it, but the road to heaven is narrow and few find it'.  It's not easy to get to heaven and no one has a free ride.  We are 'saved' but we have to choose to accept Christ's sacrifice and live our life accordingly.  My only desire is to live my life doing God's will so that I may one day be counted among His saints and that is my hope for you also.  May God bless your decisions and your journey.  

Table for Four, Please?

Our latest project:  revamping a table we found in our shed after we bought our house.  Since we've lived here, this lone table was the place we just stored Anthony's tools but when we found out his sister was eating off a cardboard box (you do what you gotta to do right after college), we looked at it in a different light.  So, we pulled it out, cleaned it off, and made a game plan as to how we might make her look purdy.  The base is solid wood and in great condition but the top was a rotting piece of composite wood. 

To make it more "feminine" for our sis and to match her current decor, we thought building a new top and painting her white would look snazzy.  I'll tell you one thing, I know my husband can do just about anything, but his wood-working skillz through this amazed me.  He wanted the table to look really nice and not just quickly put together so he took a look at our dining room table and based his plans on that. 

A couple of planks, some wood molding and edging, wood glue, nails, and a bunch of tools later, and we are successful match-makers.  Our top and base couldn't be happier together.  Here they are in all their glory.

 

The best part of all?  Maria will have a place to rest her elbows and when she does, she can think of her brother and sister-in-law and how incredibly awesome they are...you know it Maria.  ;) 

Dorm Daze!

A visit to a couple of thrift stores, Lowes, some tacos, and caramel brownies and this is what you get:  fun decor for dorm rooms!  Last night the "Fab Four", as I dubbed them, who are a part of the "Mighty Fine Nine" and I had some fun buying super cute, cheap picture frames and mirrors from a thrift store and spray painting them.  They're college-bound in the fall and bound to have the cutest dorm rooms around!  Take a look at the cuteness we created.  :)

These are some of the frames before:

Ugly, out-dated, and very uncool.

But with five cans of spray paint and some creative minds, here's what we made:

So cute, huh?

We could've left them like this and they would've been so cute but the girls showed their artsy sides and souped up these already-cute pieces.

 

Here's what we accomplished:

Just another project that shows how fabulous spray paint is, especially when combined with a fun girls' night!