Author / Bethe

by Bethe

Our “new” buffet

My sweet in-laws gave us this dresser over a year ago – someone had given it to them, and we told them we’d love to refinish it and use it as a buffet for our dining room. The drawers are nice and wide and would be perfect to hold dishes and place mats and all of our fancy serving ware. 
And then this beautiful dresser sat in our garage for over a year. First I was sick, then we put our rent house on the market, then I hit my busy season with work, and next thing we knew, it was the dead of winter and much too cold to tackle a garage project.

But last weekend after lazily watching a Saturday morning movie with Mr. Right as we recovered from our California trip, I got a wild hair to work on the dresser.

It’s really a fabulous piece of furniture – look at those curves! This 300 pound solid wood beauty had lived in a little girl’s bedroom for many years and been well-loved. It was time for her to get a makeover. 
First, I sanded off the rough edges and scratches with our electric sander. Because of the primer we chose, we didn’t have to completely remove the finish, just make it smooth. 

We decided to use spray paint on this project, and I’m so glad we did – it was a total dream! Take it from a girl who has used a paint brush on all of my previous furniture projects – this was SO MUCH FASTER.
First, we used KILZ primer in white to prime it for painting. My only complaint is that it went on a little rougher than I would have liked.

While the primer was drying I ran to the grocery store then stopped by the local hardware store to pick up white high gloss spray paint. By the time I got home an hour later, the primer was dry and we were ready for round two – painting.

I used 2-3 coats of spray paint, which went on really smoothly. We had a few drips, but nothing we couldn’t fix. The whole thing took about 30 minutes, as opposed to several hours of painting with a brush. I will forever be a spray paint kind of girl.

We debated about what type of hardware we would buy (and since we had 12 drawers, we knew that was going to be pretty expensive), but my interior designer sister suggested we just spray paint the original hardware black since it’s still an interesting shape.  

And five minutes and one can of spray paint later, we had black hardware that looked brand-new.

Then came the hardest part – we had to let it dry overnight. I was so tempted to go ahead and move it into the house because I couldn’t wait to see how it would look in our dining room – but I was good and my patience was rewarded… everything dried perfectly.
The next day Mr. Right and I carried it into the dining room and I installed all of the hardware and then added padded white drawer liners to protect our dishes from sitting directly on the wood. Now our beloved buffet houses our china, chargers, place mats and other accessories, and I love it because everything has its own compartment. It’s a disorganized organized girl’s dream!

And of course, we left a little note to remember our project.

by Bethe

Organized Disorganized

I’m the most organized disorganized person you’ll ever meet. Organized because I calendarize everything, schedule my life weeks and months in advance, and usually have about 30 projects at home and work dancing around my mind on any given day.
I’m disorganized because I’m a bit A.D.D. and can’t seem to finish anything. My desk at work and my closet at home are a mess. And please, oh please, don’t ever take a peek in my bathroom cabinets. You might not survive.
And so I battle daily against my disorganized tendencies, misplacing everything but my head and keeping my racing mind at bay. This week my solution is this:
It’s a miniature notebook that tucks away inside my purse. My goal is to use it to keep my daily bible verse, my personal to-do list and my shopping list reminders in one spot. Because when it hit me this morning that “We need to buy toilet paper” while checking work emails, I needed to capture that thought on paper so it wouldn’t go on bouncing around in my head the rest of the day.
Will it work? I’ll let you know in about two weeks… this adorable little notebook may be caked in muffin crumbs and spattered in coffee drops by then. Or it may be my new favorite toy. I’ve already tried using “notes” on my iPhone, carrying a paper calendar with space for a grocery list, and emailing myself reminders. But this is way cuter.
Speaking of cute…

One night this week I organized my sewing room. Probably my favorite spot in the house, because it’s where I get to create things, let my creative juices flow and snack on Valentine’s M&M’s while I sew until my heart’s content and catch up on my favorite shows on Hulu.

But lately, with several sewing deadlines back-to-back, my creativity has left little time for picking up. Add to it the fact that Mr. Right graciously gave me a set of shelves he wasn’t using in his study anymore, and we kind of just threw them against the wall and never bothered to put anything on them, while the piles on the floor kept growing and growing and growing.

I finally got inspired to take an hour and reclaim control over my happy place. I am so glad I did. I’ll have to do a photo tour of the rest of the room soon – we recently took the guest bed out of this room and put it in Mr. Right’s study so that I’d have more room to work on the floor (if you haven’t noticed, quilts are big and take up a lot of space while you’re laying them out). And, I proudly displayed some of my yo-yo patches since it’ll be another two years before I make enough yo-yo’s to finish that monster of a quilt. My scraps could use some attention, but at least they’re tucked away in a dresser until I figure out how I want to sort them. I’ve learned in quilting you can’t throw any fabric away, no matter how small the scrap. Someday it may come in handy.

What about you? Got any organization tips that will change my life?

by Bethe

California dreamin

Northern California… what a glorious trip.
Here’s the background… Mr. Right’s seminary sends students during spring break to preach all over the country. We were lucky blessed enough to get a fabulous placement – the mountains of Northern California. Mr. Right preached four sermons (Sunday morning, Sunday night, Tuesday and Wednesday night) at a little Baptist church in Colfax, California – halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, up in the mountains but below the snow line.
I could move there. Not only was it beautiful, but the people were as nice as any Texans. It was so refreshing!
Most of the students who go on these preaching assignments tend to work VERY long days. Mr. Right offered, but our church took a different approach – they planned a few meals with members, took him to a concert with the youth and let him sit in on a men’s bible study, but other than that, when he wasn’t preaching, they encouraged us to enjoy a mini vacation just the two of us. It was rest for our weary souls – Mr. Right is still recovering from his trip to India, and a full load of grad school, plus a busy workload. On top of that, he now works during all church services, so he hasn’t sat through a worship service in three months. Add to that another stressful season at my job, and you’ll know why being able to relax and explore new places together–and worship together–was such a sweet blessing to us both.
(Note – pray for your pastors… and your pastors’ wives… they can always use your encouragement.)
But back to our trip:

1. I got to take part in a quilting bee at the cutest little quilt shop while Mr. Right helped with a men’s bible study. I wish my local store offered something like that – the ladies there were so fun and encouraging. I brought my yo-yo’s.

2. We ate lunch in an old house that used to be a 30-year-old sanitorium, and we saw Colfax’s largest personal rock collection.

3. It rained the entire time we were gone, so I instead of doing my hair, I went for the “I’m in California so I’m going to be a hippie” look. It made getting ready so much faster – maybe I’ll adopt the hippie look in Texas some day.

4. The rain didn’t keep us from exploring the little town and discovering the American River with its gorgeous old suspension bridge nestled between two mountains. We also found neat antique stores, resell shops, and I even bought a new dress at “Mountain Mama.” (Don’t be fooled by the name, it was super trendy).

5. Mr. Right brought it when he preached. I was one proud wife! Each night after he preached they had a good old-fashioned Baptist social, complete with pecan pie and peanut butter fudge. Those people can cook.

6. Thursday morning we rented a car and drove the three hours to San Francisco. Our host home showed us a fabulous detour that took us through Napa and Sonoma. It reminded me of my two trips to the hills of Tuscany, and gave me a hankering to go back with Mr. Right.

7. If you get carsick, I wouldn’t recommend driving through Mieur Woods to see the redwoods. We never get motion sick, and we were both dying by the time we finished – windiest road I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on some doozies driving through Europe. But, the redwood trees were magical – trapped between the fog and the redwood trees they looked like something out of the movie Avatar.

8. A few years back I decided, on a wim, that I was going to run a half marathon in San Francisco. It sounded like a great adventure… until a very wise friend looked at me like I was crazy and said “Have you ever seen the hills in San Francisco?” I assumed they meant small hills… like they have in Fort Worth. Because, really, how big could these hills be?

I was very wrong. Those aren’t hills… they’re mountains.

9. San Francisco has the best food of anywhere I’ve ever visited. I ate crab cakes at Fisherman’s Warf. Lobster Lasagna at Annabelle’s (thanks Stephanie for the recommendation). A fried egg sandwich on homemade bread at Plow. And a latte from one of Anthony Bourdain‘s favorite spots – Blue Bottle Coffee.

Now you know why I started crossfit when I got home.

10. Mr. Right is the perfect travel partner for me. We just have so much fun together, and he doesn’t even judge me when I bring a bag that weighs 49.5 pounds, so heavy my handle broke. We laughed our way through much of the trip, and we relished having time away from homework and the responsibilities that come with being a grown up. What a treat.

On our way home, Mr. Right snapped this picture of the gorgeous sunset over Texas. In an effort for full disclosure, this was edited with Instagram, so while the original colors were vibrant, these are a bit played up. Still, it’s a good reminder of what a creative God we serve.
Soon we have another trip planned to the other side of the U.S. – Florida. I can’t wait.
by Bethe

Quilting Q&A’s

I get a lot of questions from friends and on Facebook about my quilting, so I thought I’d share a little bit of inside information from my foray into quilting.
How’d you learn?
Quilting was a total impulse decision. It was the Summer of 2008, I had a short break from summer school, all of my friends were busy and I had some unexpected free time. I was grocery shopping at Target and while roaming the aisles looking at all the pretty things (which is why I try to avoid grocery shopping there) I saw the sewing machines and thought “I should learn to quilt!” I bought a little $150 Singer, took it home and tried to read the directions and figure out how to work it on my own. After several hours of mounting frustration, I finally called a girlfriend who came over and showed me how to sew and work my machine in about 30 minutes.

My current project

From there, I started asking lot’s of questions. I asked folks at the fabric store (sometimes these people can put off on air of superiority toward newbie quilters – keep looking, there are nice quilters out there who are willing to help us amateurs out). I found a coworker and a long-lost relative who are both expert quilters gifted with extra patience for novices like me.

Wedding quilt being pieced together

I read blogs – lot’s of blogs. I searched YouTube – (YouTube has GREAT tutorials). And somehow over the past four years, I figured it out. I still have a lot to learn and would love to take a class to polish my skills – but I’m hooked and in love.

Why do I make quilts? Because of pictures like this… (my niece)
I made this quilt for my sister from upholstery scraps – one of my firsts.

How long does it take to make a quilt?
Since I work full time and tend to juggle a busy schedule, I mostly quilt on the weekends or when Mr. Right is studying.  Typically a quilt takes me 2-3 months, probably 30-50 hours of work during that time. I’ve decided to track my time on my sister’s baby quilt to see exactly how long it actually takes. To pass the time, I listen to audio books or set my laptop on a shelf next to my machine and watch TV shows on Hulu. It’s a wonderful, calming escape for me. The other night I cut squares and rocked out to worship music.

Working on this quilt for Mr. Right.

As for my yo-yo quilt… it’ll take me forever: It will require approximately 1,000 yo-yo’s… I’ve finished about 250. I make them while watching TV or while getting my hair done at the salon (since it takes me three hours to become so naturally blonde). That quilt will probably be one of my new favorite things when it’s finished, because it’s such a labor of love.

Yo-Yo’s (made in my wedding colors – gray and yellow)

How much does a quilt cost?
My quilts typically cost around $100 for the materials, which is why this would make a terrible side business. To make any money, I’d have to charge back the materials ($100) plus my time (30 hours @ $10 an hour would add another $300… minimum). And since my quilts look nice from a distance but up close have MANY imperfections, I don’t think anybody would want to buy one of my quilts for $400. But if you do… CALL ME! (wink wink)

My sewing area & my first venture into applique.

Where do you get your ideas?
Blogs. Pinterest. I rarely use patterns, I prefer to make them up as I go. I think it’s like Mr. Right, who likes to deconstruct restaurant dishes in his head and then create something similar without a recipe. I’ve followed patterns, but that seems too restricting to me. I’m more of a free spirit quilter and I enjoy sketching out new ideas and reinventing things I’ve seen online to better suit my needs.

Wedding Quilt

My first ever “strip” quilt

How can I get started?
Just dive right in! If you live near me, give me a call and I’d be happy to come over and show you how to use your machine. The easiest way to start is with a “strip” quilt – just sew long strips together so you don’t have to worry about lining things up perfectly. They’re really fast to do and a lot of fun.

Yo-Yo’s
Do I need a special sewing machine?
Nope. I thought I needed a fancy long-armed machine to do the actual quilting (different from “piecing”) but it turns out there’s a big secret that all quilters know, but I’m slow so it took me two years to figure out: (said in a whisper) to fit your quilt into that tiny space next between the needle and machine… roll your quilt – don’t try to bunch it. With that one tip, you can quilt on anything… whether it’s a $150 Singer or my new fancy Ferrari of a Janome. 
Happy quilting!
by Bethe

It’s the equivalent of buying your wife a vacuum

Mr. Right knows me. Like, really knows me.

He bought me the perfect souvenir from India – gorgeous, high-end fabric so that I can include a little bit of India in some of my quilts!

I am in love. It’s super soft and different from fabrics you buy at the local JoAnn’s. It feels luxurious and exotic, and when I use this fabric, I can assure you that I’ll be KEEPING this quilt for myself. (I never keep quilts – ever. I think they’re made to be given away. But this one will be an exception.)

One of the other pastors traveling with my beloved husband was a little worried I might be offended by his gift. He told Mr. Right it was like buying me a vacuum for my birthday. Because he’s giving it to me something that I will then have to make something out of. So, in essence, he’s giving me a gift that will make me work.

Which is probably true… for most women. But not for me. No, for me, this was the sweetest thing he could have possibly gotten me. Fabric is expensive and I try to be frugal with my purchases, only buying what I need and always using coupons. So luxurious textiles from India… those I can’t wait to get my hands on! Plus quilting is my escape and something that brings me great joy.

Oh, and he got me this rose-colored wrap to wear with my little black dress. That was a good move too. I debuted it at a friend’s bachelorette party over the weekend.

by Bethe

Choosing lovely thoughts over anxiety

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Lord, help me to rejoice in you – fill me to overflowing with joy that can come only from you. Help me to be joyful and celebrate you every day, no matter if I’m suffering or having the greatest day ever.

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

Lord, I’m good at being gentle with folks I like. Help me to have a gentle spirit on those bad days, around difficult people, when I let my guard down. Help my speech to reflect your gentle nature.

The Lord is near.

Thank you, Lord, for always being near. Even when it feels like I’m alone. Help me to cling to that truth – you ARE near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.

Lord, this goes against my very nature. Sometimes I drown in anxiety and worry over very big things… and very small things. Help me to take captive every thought and filter it through the promises you’ve given me in scripture. That you are near… that you will never leave me nor forsake me. That you are in control. Please quiet my anxieties and insecurities and replace them with a thankful heart. Help me to remember to pray as soon as I get anxious. And help me to remember to choose joy.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Lord, thank you for promising to replace my anxieties with your peace. The kind of peace that goes beyond my own understanding. Please guard my heart and my mind. Please reign down peace on me and my family.

Finally, (Bethe), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Lord – when I’m feeling anxious, please help me to replace those fears with thoughts of true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy things. Thinking on lovely, true things… what a productive way to occupy my mind, which never seems to slow down. Help me to be disciplined in this.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What a wonderful promise! Lord – I want your peace. I have tasted it, and I want it every day. What a lovely way to live.


(These are the verses I’ve been meditating on – Philippians 4:4-9, NIV)

by Bethe

Don’t do it

For Valentine’s Day, Mr. Right and I bought each other professional massages. He went to his regular place, a Shiatsu massage place in the mall (that he first discovered from Groupon) and came back raving about how much better he felt.

He warned me that I might not like it there, because the massages are deep tissue. Which I took as a challenge. I love a good deep tissue massage. And I’m no wimp. I can handle a Shiatsu massage.

Please.

And so I confidently walked into the Renu Shiatsu at the mall (red flag) and signed up for a 90 minute massage (that cost well under market value – second red flag).

The lady who helped me didn’t speak a word of English. Not a single word. (third red flag)

She pointed me to a room with a curtain instead of a door (fourth red flag) that was right next to the main mall thoroughfare, so you could hear the mall music and people talking as they walked by (fifth red flag). I undressed, nuzzled under the mismatched sheet (sixth red flag) and waited for my masseuse to come in.

Next door I heard a masseuse literally beating on the customer (seventh red flag) and thought to myself, I hope he’s getting a different massage than I am (nope).

The masseuse entered, and what followed was the most painful 90 minutes of my life. I think childbirth may be more relaxing than what I endured in that tiny little room next to the busiest part of the mall. You see, Shiatsu involves hitting pressure points with the thumb… the palm… and the elbow. Translation – this lady dug her elbow into my spine over and over and over. She didn’t just massage my muscles… no, she kneaded right over my bones leaving bruises in her path. When she did hit muscle, she dug with all of her might – not with a flowing, rubbing motion, but more of a repeated jab – as hard as she could.

That’s when she wasn’t hitting me.

I was in so much pain that I almost puked through the hole in the head pillow. At one point I winced so hard my left leg flew off the table – which she took as a sign that I needed my leg worked on (again – she didn’t speak A SINGLE WORD OF ENGLISH). She grabbed my leg and yanked it backward until my foot was touching the back of my head – then she bent it over to the side so that my foot was at a 90 degree angle from my knee, touching it to the table. And with my leg contorted in such an unnatural way, THEN she started massaging and digging into my leg.

It was all I could to not cry.

After she finished jabbing me over and over and over… the hitting started. I’ve had massages before when they give you little karate chopping motions over your back – lightly – and it feels pretty good. This was more like heavy hitting with her whole hand. It was horrible. But some part of me kept thinking, obviously she knows what she’s doing – maybe I’ll feel better after it’s done. 

Nope. I didn’t feel any better. I could barely walk out afterward.

But I forgot the most horrifying part. At the very end of the massage, she had me flip over so that my face was pointed to the ceiling, and she rubbed the back of my neck and gently massaged my face. Finally, it felt like a regular, relaxing massage. I was just about to convince myself that THIS was the part where they go from causing pain to causing relaxation…

And she started to choke me. She literally grabbed her hands all the way around my neck, and started lifting my head off the table… by my neck. Granted, she hit muscles in the back of my neck, but she also hit my vocal cords in the front… I could barely breathe. For a moment I thought that if by some horrible coincidence I died that night in my sleep, the police would logically assume that Mr. Right had choked me to death because of the bruises this lady was surely going to leave on my neck.

And then it was over. I pulled my battered body off the table, got dressed, paid as quickly as I could and ran out of the “salon.” I called Mr. Right who assured me that his experience was NOTHING like that one. And then we both had a good laugh.

Not exactly the most romantic Valentines massage ever. Poor Mr. Right couldn’t even touch my back for three days because of the bruising. But, I did gain a new funny story, and I can cross “Get a Shiatsu massage” off my bucket list.

Trust me, you should go ahead and delete it from yours as well.

by Bethe

He’s home

Well, my friends… my man is home. And life has gone back to normal, whatever normal is. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to spend all day Saturday home with him, watching movies and napping to the sound of the rain hitting our window. We had missed each other so much, and I just wanted to soak him in.
And I’m happy to report that the sweet smell of curry washed right off in the shower the first night he got home.
But there’s no rest for the weary – after one day off Mr. Right had to hit the ground running, working an 11-hour day on Sunday that included his once-a-month preaching gig at the local nursing home. He did so well, and afterward he looked at me with those tired eyes and said, “Did I make any sense at all?” My poor man was almost delirious. But yes, he made wonderful sense, thanks to the holy spirit and the two cups of black coffee he drank on the way there.
I’m still learning bits and pieces about his trip, but I thought I’d share two pictures he took of the beautiful people in India. My man’s not a photographer by trade but some of his pictures made me absolutely swoon with pride.
I love this first one, because you can see all of this woman’s life toils and memories written as wrinkles on her face. I think she is gorgeous.
This second one is a group of orphans that Mr. Right preached to… 1400 in all. I asked him if we could go back and adopt one or two… or four. Maybe someday. Pray for these children, as most are not Christians.

Thank you for praying along with me during this trip to India. What a blessing you are to me.
by Bethe

Things you should never say to a woman

I’m going to start keeping a list of things you should never say to a woman.

1. Are you pregnant? 
I got it again last week from one of my ESL students. In her defense, before I left for class I looked in the mirror at my dress, which should be belted but I chose not to, and my baggy cardigan, tights and flats and thought to myself “Bethe, this isn’t the most flattering look.” But ESL is in the evening after a full day of work, and when you’re dealing with refugees from all over the world, how you look is the last thing they care about. It’s one of those wonderful places where you’re loved simply because you’re willing to love back. And so I looked a bit “baggy.” And ahem, pregnant. (still. not. pregnant. don’t even ask.)

2. Are you sick?
This one just stinks. I usually get this when I forget to touch up my makeup and my mascara starts to bleed down my eyelids.

3. (to a pregnant girl) Wow, you’re really filling out!
Someone said this to my gorgeously pregnant sister… they’ve obviously lost their mind.

And today, I’m adding this one…

4. Wow, you look sloppy today!
For the record… I was feeling kind of awesome today. Really cute – totally something out of a fashion blog. But apparently not everybody agreed.

So what did I do?

I ate cake. Chocolate cake. And now I’m over it.
Anything else you want to add to my “Never say this to a woman” list?