Life | A Thankfully Imperfect Woman

Jul 10

Welcome with a Little Vintage

If you were to come to my house, and come through the garage (which is the most used entrance), you’d find this fun little vignette. It’s a bit of an ode to summer here in the Northland…

A few fun drink coolers for your water, or lemonade, or kool-aid for picnics.

A fun little lantern which is perfect for those summer nights…it reminds me of going night crawler hunting with Dad. (For those of you not from northern Minnesota, the night crawler (worm) is great bait for fishing!) Read more

Jul 8

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Flowers and Cows and Worms – Oh My!

My father-in-law has said that I make things more complicated than they need to be.

Well…

Sometimes I guess I do.

Like when it comes to our yard…

It takes me days to “decorate” our yard and my gardens every year. It’s ever evolving in a manner of speaking…new junk = new garden decor. Remember the old saying: ‘Your garbage may be someone else’s treasure’?

Yes…my yard is living proof. I have dilapidated bird houses, old pans, old faucets, a few faded decor items…you name it. But they look lovely now! I love repurposing things, giving them a new home, and showing them a little love…even though they’re old, faded and worn out (hmmmm…maybe I’m describing myself?). Read more

Jul 7

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Because Nice Matters

I have a plaque with this saying on it in my living room as a gentle reminder to my family.

As a Mom of three girls, one of which is 23, one 19 and one 12 (all with Fall birthdays), we have had plenty of female hormones raging in this home. Soon we’ll have two out of the teenage years and one just beginning – whew! Now add in this perimenopausal Momma to the mix and let’s just say this….poor Tim. There’s a reason he loves his woodworking shop as much as he does!

But I digress…

A few of the characteristics I’ve tried to instill in my girls are empathy and kindness. We all react to someone else’s attitude – whether it be bad or good. Sometimes it’s all too easy to crank back at someone who’s being cranky at us (I’m just as guilty)…but if we can stop ourselves long enough to realize that we don’t know what they may be dealing with – maybe we can deal with it in a different way. Maybe a smile, a “Have a good (or better) day”, or even a gentle touch on the arm with an “Are you OK?” can do wonders.

Sometimes all someone needs is to know someone cares.

Be that someone today.

Happy Sunday all!

Patty O

Jul 4

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A Day to Celebrate, A Day to Thank Those Who Serve

In the midst of your 4th of July celebrating, I hope you will join me in taking a moment to thank those who have ensured our freedoms and security – our military, police, and firefighters.

I hope you have a FANTASTIC 4th of July…

Be safe, enjoy your family and friends, and may God Bless the USA! (Enjoy a little Lee Greenwood)

And one other tradition Tim and I share on the 4th is watching the Boston Pops, here’s our favorite song: The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular: Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever (thank you BetsysView)

From my family to yours,

Happy 4th of July!

Patty O

Jun 30

My Prayer for You on This Sunday…

Another find from Pinterest, these words say it all.

God Bless…

Patty O

ps… I promise I’ll try to be back to my wordy self tomorrow. It’s been a crazy weekend of moving things into the basement (the storerooms are now done) and cleaning, moving, and organizing in my NEW workshop (aka old storage room).

Needless to say I’ve been having fun ~~working~~ playing in what will be my new workshop!

OK…full disclosure: One of the keys in selling Tim on the idea was to describe it as our “Finishing Shop” where we’ll do all the painting/staining of the pieces he builds.

Shhhhhh…don’t tell him I’m still going to call it “my shop”!

🙂