homemaking

Project Graduation

May 18, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 27 Comments

Want to know what I did this weekend?

I did what I do best. I redecorranged—that’s a technical term for ‘redecorating by rearranging what you already have’.

I gave this room a makeover a few years ago for my daughter Caiti and we have both loved it so! It has such a relaxing, artsy, vintage ambiance.

The burlap bedskirts, silver-patina walls, and mirrors create an atmosphere that begs you to strum the guitar and curl your hair. Caiti recently moved into the guest room (which has less ambiance but a t.v. and a very comfortable bed) so I cleaned and redecorranged this room today in anticipation of the arrival of my sister and her daughter Hope. They will be coming on Friday for Taylor’s graduation and a post graduation pajama party—and to stabilize my ever-deteriorating/emotionally unstable self. I also added the window mistreatments today which are just linen fabric hung with alligator clips.

All I need now are a few small love gifts for our ‘guests’ and 3 more clones of myself—so that I have a chance at finishing the enormous ‘to-do’ list that currently bewilders my sensibilities. For now, I breathe deep and enjoy this lovely little bedroom.

And I hear you whispering about the oil painting that’s leaning against the bed. I like it there. Just leanin’……just taking a break from the hard, busy world. My sister will have no patience for such nonsense. She’ll offer to hang it for me. She’s one of those people who’d you’d definitely pick first if you were gonna be stranded on a desert island. She just has good sense and knows how to use all manner of power tools and even hung bead board in mother’s bathroom by herself. I’m sure she could start a fire with a piece of flint and a rock. Yeah, she’ll want to hang that picture and then offer to install an outdoor lighting system before she heads home. But I digress. What do you think? Hang it or lean it?

Post-edit: I’m joining Kelly’s children’s room tour with this ‘teen’ room. Click here for more fabulous decorating ideas!

Friday Hikes

May 15, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 18 Comments

Today, I’m joining Melissa from The Inspired Room as we celebrate and cherish the beauty, right where we are and right where we live. Click here for more weekend inspiration.

We live 5 minutes from a beautiful state park. For the past 2 or 3 months, we’ve taken the girls there every Friday afternoon for what we affectionately call our ‘Friday Hikes’. At the outset of this adventure, we secured some trail maps and began highlighting the trails as we hiked them, with the intention of eventually hiking them all.

They have come to cherish this routine. And so have we. Sometimes, they’re on a mission to go as fast as possible.

And sometimes they get sidetracked.

When we found this trail—that led to a beautiful rocky lake shore, we knew that it might not be our destiny to hike all the trails. This one is amazing.

We’ve decided that pretty soon, we’re gonna have to bring our swimsuits and a towel.

Oh, and the dogs……they are in heaven!

So, today when we ask the girls where we should hike, I have a feeling I know which trail they will choose. Their dad will name the trees and the birds. And we will learn together to see the divine hidden among the ordinary.

The Fall

May 8, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 3 Comments

I don’t know if I’ve ever told you about this place. A magical little sanctuary that Stevie labored countless months and years over. A quaint little cottage that he had built for us in the middle of beautiful mountainous country, with a spring fed pond he researched and designed and personally stocked with all kinds of fish and a water trampoline. Paradise. Or pretty close.

Someone decided to trample on our dreams. They came in and took nearly everything ‘but the kitchen sink’ and this little sign.

Our little slice of Eden went from this….

to this…..overnight. And ditto for every other room.

We made the hours’ drive in a somber state of disbelief. We spent the day sifting through broken glass and precious memories. I guess the parallels are endless, but this is what happens in Eden. Everytime. The dream is fleeting. Paradise eludes us. At least for now.

But there is something about suffering that brings joy. And my words will fail to communicate what happened in my heart yesterday. But God is faithful. His mercies are new every morning. Reaching in to give us hope, and life, and salvation.

I am His child.

And He has not left me alone.

He will restore Eden. In His time.

This song is dedicated to a man whose strength continually surprises me, whose love is redemptive and whose compassion for my ever present tears these days is heroic.

We will get through this. All of this. Together. And when I count my blessings, you are first in line.

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Thank you for all the kind thoughts and prayers I know you’re sending our way!

One mama’s journey through goodbye…..

May 2, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 29 Comments

Edited to add: I’m linking this post with Emily’s Tuesdays Unwrapped so welcome to all you friends of Emily. She’s the best!

It’s been a busy week for our family as we anticipate the fast approaching graduation of my son, Taylor. He was honored with many of his classmates this week as being among the class to receive more honors and scholarships than any other class in the history of West High School.

He graduates with first honors….with a weighted GPA above 4.0 (I’m still not sure how that’s possible)

and will attend East Tennessee State University on a music and academic scholarship, while his best friend Andrew was honored with all the same acolades and will attend King College (only about 20 miles from Taylor’s college) on an academic and cross country scholarship.

He was honored as a member of Who’s Who and was recognized as the male ‘senior of the year’ by his music teacher for his participation in Chamber Choir. It makes a mama proud. And brings a mama to tears. (and in retrospect, makes a mama wish she had insisted on that hair cut)!

To top off the week, his band, The Verity, was invited to play at the World’s Fair Park last night in Knoxville. The girls and I met my mom, my nieces and my nephew to tour the Sunsphere and enjoy downtown Knoxville before the concert started.

My mother’s best friend from childhood, whom I also call my 2nd mom, is the owner of the historic Thackston School, which burned a few months back and had to relocate the Holiday Inn Convention Center; conveniently located about 50 yards from the World’s Fair ampitheater. Her son, John, just happens to have the best view of Knoxville, with his office in the top of the Sunsphere. Needless to say, it was a fun field trip.

This is the view of the ampitheater from John’s office.

So, despite the intermittent rain, we had a ball.

I think the boys did too. This was a beautiful venue.

Everything these days is covered with a haze, a mixture of sadness and joy. I’m filled with pride and yet, always on the verge of tears. I feel so blessed to take this journey with him and still apprehensive that when the time comes for me to step off the trail, I won’t be ready. He won’t be ready.

I know that this is only the beginning for him. The world lies in wait; ready to embrace another generation of our youth. It’s my job to let go, to give him gladly to a world that is hurting and in need of strong minds and compassionate hearts. And I will find a way to let go.

Because deep down, I know that what we give away from open hands and hearts, always comes back to us. The sadness turns to joy. The tears are a baptism of sorts. Drowning out the need to control….to hold too tightly. It is necessary for this goodbye—-this death to the way things have always been—before new life can spring forth.

I will say goodbye to this way of life. To this way I have mothered you. But I will not say goodbye. I will hold you in my heart always. Rejoicing with you in your joys. And bearing your burdens with you in my heart….and on my knees. I will be here for you. Always.

Prom Night and fighting back tears……

April 19, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 12 Comments

I cried silent tears at least half the way home from Cincinnati today.

I know it should be a fun day.

A day filled with joy.

And it would be…..if this weren’t another ‘last’.

So, I listened to Matt Kearney sing ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’……

and I sighed heavy and remembered how

blessed I am to be a ‘joyous mother of children’.

(Press play to your right and you can go down that weepy road with me)

Breathe in, breathe out

Tell me all of your doubt

everybody bleeds this way, just the same

Breathe in, breathe out

Move on and break down

If everyone goes away

I will stay

We push and pull

And I fall down sometimes

I’m not letting go

You hold the other line

‘Cause there is a light

In your eyes, in your eyes

Hold on and hold tight

From out of your sight

And everything keeps moving on

Moving on

Hold on and hold tight

Make it through another night

And everyday there comes a song, with the dawn

We push and pull

And I fall down sometimes

I’m not letting go

You hold the other line

‘Cause there is a light

In your eyes

in your eyes

Yeah, there is a light

In your eyes

In your eyes.

Breathe in and breathe out

Look left, look right

To the moon in the night

And everything under the stars

Is in your arms

‘Cause there is a light

In your eyes,

in your eyes

Yeah, there is a light

In your eyes

Breathe in and breathe out

Breathe in and breath out.

Silhouettes

March 29, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth Leave a Comment

This is so fun and easy that you must try it with your small children. Silhouettes are all over the internet but I think I first saw this method on the Shabby Nest.

1. Take a picture of your subject. This happens to be my darling and wonderfully handsome nephew because I’m making silhouettes for my sister.

2. Print the pictures to whatever size you want the silhouettes to be onto cardstock. I traced the silhouette and then solicited the help of the youngsters to color them in. Use a black permanent marker and fill in the image completely. They thought this was so much fun since they were essentially ‘coloring themselves’.

3. Use an exacto knife and precisely cut out the image; careful to preserve cute little noses and lips.

4. After cutting the image, color the egdes again so that no white is showing.

5. Then place them into frames and enjoy. I backed the cardboard from the frame with fabric such as linen or burlap to add texture to the framed silhouettes. They turned out beautiful! Only 6 more to go!

And in case you wondered about the ‘brood’, they’re just dandy. The rooster is quite the bossy cackling little guy and one of the hens loves to mother and preen the others. The ducks, named Bumper and Thumper, love to swim and love to wake me up at 5 a for more water.

Let me know if you try the silhouettes. There are also professional silhouette artists who can make ‘real’ ones for you……but that isn’t nearly as much fun!

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