Giving to others feels sooooo good!

Hello Everyone!

My apologies for being away for so long!  I have recently returned to work part time and it took me a bit to get my schedule under control!   First and foremost, I still get to be a full time mom to my main man Tyler, but am able to work a few hours ever day too!

I have so much to share I just don't know where to begin!!  Tomorrow I will talk about my new job and all the fabulous things I am learning, and the next day I will let you know what my goofball kitty was up to.....But today I want to talk about my new friend Avery.

My husband works with a fantastic coach I'll call Chris.  He has a beautiful wife and two gorgeous kids.  His 5 year old son Avery was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 3 years old.  He was treated and went into remission.  Unfortunately they found out recently that the leukemia has returned and Avery is once again undergoing treatment.

A wonderful lady started a "meal train" for the family and I quickly signed up.  Now those who know me know that cooking is not my first love but I will do anything to help a friend, even a friend I've never met before.  I made some homemade potato soup, salad, bread, brownies and off Tyler and I went to deliver "dinner".

I happily followed my phone GPS to their house and everything was going perfectly until my phone went dead.  Poop.  Oh well, I think I can remember what the house looks like from an online photo, so I'm just going to wing it!  I pulled in the driveway (praying the whole time that this was the right house), rang the doorbell and was greeted by this beautiful blonde lady with an amazing smile!  Immediately a young gentleman in a T-shirt and undies came running to the door and introduced himself as Avery.  He took one look at Tyler and said "wanna come play with me"!

To look at this 5 year old boy you would never know the battle he is waging.  Yes, his head is bald from chemotherapy but he has a smile that lights up a room and an enthusiasm for life untouched by the challenges he faces. I spent a little time getting to know Avery's mom (and I'm going to love her forever), then excused myself to let them enjoy their dinner. (I hope they enjoyed it!)

Please know that I don't write this so you all will know what a loving, fantastic person I am.  I am nothing compared to this brave family with a very special little boy.  Avery's mom said "we take each day as it comes, the good with the bad, and just keep praying.  She didn't talk about the nights she was up with her son as he was violently sick from the chemo, but I know she was.

I have one son, my dearest Tyler.  He's almost 8 years old, not 5, but I can imagine what it would be like if he were fighting something like leukemia.  I don't know that I could be as brave and strong as Avery's mother is - I only hope I would be half as amazing.

One thing I do know is that if we pray, God listens and miracles happen every day.  I don't know God's plan for Avery and his family but that little boy has touched my heart and will be included in my prayers each and every day.

If you have a moment will you please say a prayer for Avery and his family?  I believe in miracles and I pray that Avery will be cured so he can grow into the man he is destined to be.  Something tells me he is going to do great things......

A chance to make a difference

I recently found out about a website called Ilikegiving.com.  I was listening to Dave Ramsey (Love Him!) and he was talking about this very website.  It's a nonprofit group whose goal is to get people giving to other people.  Their time, money - whatever you have to share.    I've always loved volunteering and trying to find ways to give back - without sounding cliche - I want to make this world a little better....

I like giving, has a 3 day challenge you can take and my challenge today was to give money to someone.  It could be as small as a quarter to a child at a gumball machine or as large as a car!  I wish I had the funds to buy someone in need a car, but that's not what's most important.  I just need to share something with someone. 

My husband came home today and told me about an article he read called "At the corner of hope and worry".  It's about a woman named Donna Dove who owns a small diner in Elyria, OH.  Here is the link   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/us/this-land-corner-of-hope-and-worry-elyria.html?pagewanted=all&src=longreads&_r=0

Times have been difficult for so many people for the last few years.  This is a story about one of those people.  For whatever reason, God has put it on my heart to reach out to this person so that's what I'm going to do.  I don't have enough to make a huge difference to her, but I'm going to do what I can.  The longer I live, the more I find true joy and happiness in helping people.....after all, were all in this together.

If you would like to help you can send a donation to:

Donna Dove
Donna's Diner
148 Middle Ave
Elyria, Oh 44035

I challenge you to do something for someone else today (or tomorrow!).  Share your time or money (it doesn't have to be much - whatever you can spare!!).  I don't know about you, but the feeling I get from helping someone in need is one of the best this world has to offer!!

Painting!

Ahhhh, so many choices!  Painting is a double edge sword for me - I love all the possibilities but they all drive me crazy too! Not worried though, because I have help!

Don't laugh - he's very good with color and VERY opinionated.

So I tried this:

And this:

 And then 3 different colors at once!

But somethings not right....I know I'll darken the grout!

Yep, I like that better.  I could drag this on all day but I think I'll just share the finished product!

BEFORE:

AFTER!

 

 

So what do you think?  Feel free to leave comments - I'd love to hear from you!

Grouting

GROUTING. 
Not my favorite part of this project, but still doable.  I began by applying the grout with my little tooly thing and proceeded to end up with more on my drop cloth than on the actual stones - but I can't give up so I tried again.  Now the stones are completely covered and I start to wipe the grout off of them.  Everything's smeared and messy and I am freaking out!  Thankfully my friend Jamie was available to calm me down and assure me that I'm dong it right, it's just a messy process.  I don't like messy, it makes me nervous.  There has got to be a better way.

Hey how about this!

I decorate cakes on occasion, so I had the piping bag and tip in my pantry. I found this worked great for getting the grout down in between the uneven stones and I was able to control the application much better.  

I also wasted less grout which can be a real money saver!  Next I wiped and smoothed the grout out with a sponge and that part was still a little messy but what are you going to do?  Grit you teeth and get through it!

So now that I'm stoned and grouted I can chose my paint colors!  This could take a while.... Check back for the big reveal!

Fireplace Facelift...

I am so excited about my latest project!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a fireplace in need of a "new look".  Need to give it a little spice, jazz it up -  give it some personality!  

Step 1:

Attach a fantastic product I found at my local home improvement store called Bondera.  This product can be placed directly on the wood of my fireplace - no sanding or stripping required!  I've never tiled before so I'm kind of excited about this!  All you have to do is cut the pieces to fit the area you want to tile, remove the film backing, and stick it to your surface. Note: be sure you have it lined up perfectly because you only get one shot at this.   Once you press it into place it does not want to move. Next remove the film on the front and your ready to attach your tile of choice.

 Step 2: Attach Away!

I've chosen to use river rock as you can see above.  Though it comes on a mesh sheet I found myself placing many of them on one at a time to get just the right look and fit.  It was a little time consuming but it made me feel kind of artsy and fabulous so I just rolled with it.

Step 3: Grouting.

I won't lie, I'm a little scared to begin this step.  The river rocks have an uneven surface so I'm a little worried about putting it on with my little trowel tool. It sounds messy and messy kind of freaks me out.  Well I won't know until I try so here goes!

Check back for all the gooey details....

New Project Alert!!

Hello All and thanks for visiting my blog!  I am so excited to share my latest project with you!!  I have a gas fireplace with a very simple oak mantle and surround, finished in a blonde stain.  Now I'm grateful to have a fireplace but I think it could use a little makeover - don't you?  So, off I went to my local home improvement store to get some ideas.  Here is what I brought home with me:

And This:

A girls gotta eat!

I'm sure you all can figure out where I'm going with this!  I'm going to go get started and I'll keep you posted as I progress.  Wish me luck!

Look What I made!

Those who know me well, know that I love a good challenge!  My neighbor and good friend Jenny, introduced me to an amazing blog about a woman who lives in Alaska and builds all kinds of things.  I couldn't find a table to fit my dining area and Ana had the plans for a farmhouse table on her website that I absolutely loved!  I've never really built anything before but she said it wasn't hard so I decided to give it a try.  Here are some photos of the final product:

                                  I love the character of the wood and wanted to maintain the look!

Much of this wood was reclaimed from a local eco store.  I loved the knots in the wood and didn't want to fill them in and smooth it out too much.  I don't know what the wood was in its former life, but I love it now.  If only it could tell us it's story.....

Gotta go for now - I need to go dust.  I might have mentioned it's kinda dusty here...

Life on the Prairie...

Four years ago my life looked quite different than it does now. My husband was a coach for an NBA basketball team and we lived near Milwaukee, WI.  I enjoyed all the conveniences of living near a major city - lots to do, great shopping - you get the picture.  Unfortunately our team was not playing well and the powers that be decided they needed to "clean the slate" and fire everyone from the General Manager on down.  For the first time in my life I faced packing up my home and family and moving cross country - leaving everyone and everything I knew behind.

Now I'm sure that many people would take this in stride but unfortunately I was not one of them.  I really liked my life in Milwaukee and I did not want to see things change.  Seeing as my husband's new job was in Oregon, I left my home (kicking and screaming) and began our new adventure.  

I can't possibly describe with words how beautiful the state of Oregon in so I'll just share some photos:

Feet can be beautiful!

 

Our two years in Oregon were amazing and I will revisit it again, but for now I want to fast forward a bit to what life is like today!

From Oregon we once again packed the moving truck and headed east to trade mountains and ocean scenery for the great plains!

This is our driveway.  It's gravel.  I've never had a gravel driveway before. Of course I've never lived in the country before.  My husband grew up here and loves the wide open spaces and having his own land.  He's really happy...and I'm.....well I'm really happy he's so happy because he deserves this! 

When we arrived the temperature was around 100 degrees and humid.  It's dry, windy and DUSTY!  Once the shock wore off a bit I turned to my husband and said "well it's official, you've moved me to hell".  But he's so happy....so somehow, I'm gonna get used to this.

I knew I would be living in an environment unlike any I had experienced before and If I was to remain sane I would have to find the beauty in this very different landscape and way of living....

Our home is in a country subdivision, so I do have neighbors, but we all have at least 4 acres of land so it's really the best of both worlds; elbow room but with people near by - cause I need my people!

As you can see the landscaping has gone wild, but this was when we first arrived and I've been working on it with the help of my wonderful husband and friends!

My dear friend (and almost sister) Mary, came to visit right away!  She's really good with flowers and landscape so I put her right to work. Did I mention the temp. is 100 degrees and very humid...and DUSTY...and the dust likes to stick to sweaty skin.  I love her, she's a champ.

The Beginning.....

Hello All and Welcome to Dust Covered Diva!  Quite a name I know, but as you get to know me and my life you will see that it applies perfectly!  My name is Teri and I am a 21+ (how many pluses I'll never tell!) stay at home mom of a fantastic 7 year old named Tyler.  I'm also a former flight attendant, current actor/singer/dancer and Coach's wife.  Being a coach's wife for the last 11 years has been an exciting, crazy and sometimes frustrating experience; one that has taken me on 3 major moves in the last 3 years. In the process, I've experienced amazing highs, horrible lows and met some wonderful people along the way.  This is my story...