Happy October (rabbit!) Here is our front porch this year:

 For the past couple of years, I have shared a quote or scripture every Sunday as part of my "courage for the week." It has become my favorite part of blogging. It has been so good for me to always be on the look out for little nuggets of wisdom that inspire me, that I can then pass along to you. My hope is that courage for the week gives you a little boost as you face your realities, or at least something to think about, because don't we all need a little courage as we take on the upcoming week?

Today's courage for the week is a bit different~it's about something that is dear to my heart, that guides everything in my life. I am a Mormon, and I have joined an amazing group of bloggers that are sharing some experiences of why we are Mormon, what brought us to where we are, and why we believe what we do. You may recognize some of your favorite bloggers on the list?

 Mariel - Or so she says..

Becky ~ The Crafting Chicks

Camille ~ Six Sisters Stuff

Leigh Anne ~ Your Homebased Mom

Tausha ~ Sassy Style Redesign

Megan ~ Brassy Apple

Reachel ~ Cardigan Empire

Mandy ~ Sugar Bee Crafts

Caroline ~ Armelle Blog

Carrian ~ Sweet Basil

Melissa ~ 320 Sycamore

Shawn ~ I Wash...You Dry

Becky ~ Babes in Hairland

Shandra ~ Deals to Meals

Kristyn ~ Lil' Luna

Nikkala ~ The Crafting Chicks

Krista ~ Budget Gourmet Mom

Kelli ~ Lolly Jane

Stephanie ~ Somewhat Simple

Mel ~ Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Becky ~ UCreate

Arianne ~ Still Parenting

Emily ~ Is This Really My Life?

Shawni ~ 71 Toes

Nikki ~ Chef in Training

Lindsey ~ The R House

Jamie ~ The Crafting Chicks

Aleisha ~ She Calls Me Mama Leisha

Kirsten ~ The Crafting Chicks 
Melanie ~ Sugardoodle
Kierste ~ Brown Paper Packages
Shelley ~ How Does She? 
Brooke ~ The Crafting Chicks

Mariel, from Or So She Says has compiled a packet of thoughts and scriptures from each of us, giving a peek into our feelings about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are offering them, along with a Book of Mormon, for free sent to your door straight from mine (or whomever you request it from). No strings attached. I won't give out any of your info, or send out people to visit you, it's just yours to keep.

 

Why the Book of Mormon too?  Well, it would be impossible to really understand us without it.  It is a major part of our religion, our lives...and part of WHY we are Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  It is the ancient records of prophets who lived in the Americas before, during and after Christ’s time on earth. It does not replace the Bible in any way, it is another testament of Christ, additional witnesses of His life and teachings. We simply want to share the good news that God lives and that He has a plan for each of us. He sent his son, Jesus, to show the way, to lift us from sin, and to bring peace and love into our lives.

If you would like one, please email me at melissa.320sycamore@gmail.com. I'll let you know when to expect it!

Thanks for letting me share something that means so much to me~

It’s been FOREVER since we’ve shared deals, so let’s take care of that today :) Here are some that caught my eye:

* 3 Pack Miracle Gro Herb Kit: $8.99 w/ free shipping at Home Depot (deal of day)

* Also, at Home Depot, they are having a major lighting sale. I was thrilled to find some of the lights I had pinned on my Pinterest board were marked down

1. Bronze Schoolhouse Pendant Light $49.48 (love this one in Michelle’s kitchen!)

2. Polished Nickel Kettle Pendant $43.98

3. Brushed Bronze Lantern Pendant Light $53.98

4. Nautical Mini Pendant Light $15.98

5. Weathered Bronze Pendant Light $53.98

Hello, friends! I feel like I have been on a big blog break, and I guess I kind of have. So much is going on here…good things, but BUSY and the blog has really been put on the back burner. My baby is starting to attend a little preschool 3 days a week for a couple of hours beginning this week, so I’m hoping to get some more blogging in. We pulled fall/halloween down from the attic this weekend and we have had some perfect fall days, so I am in the mood!

Here is our fall entryway, lots of elements you’ve seen before, and it would be so fun to go out and buy all new for each season, but sorry to say, it ain’t gonna happen here.

** winner of the Mirrormate $200 giveaway is here..is it you?? :) **

We *love* this recipe. I got it from my Mom and I think she got it from Grandma? (Shuz?) Anyway, on Sunday nights we would all gather out at my Grandma Lofgren’s and this would be a favorite to bring and share. My mom would bring it to the neighbors at Christmas as well. It makes a BIG batch. It’s gooey and soft, so if you love the cracker jack, crunch type of caramel corn, this probably isn’t for you.  Uhhhh, as you can see, it’s not low calorie either, but it’s perfect for fall~throw in some candy corn for a fun twist! :)

From one of my favorite chapters from Charlotte's Web, I think of it every year as summer is coming to a close and school begins again:

Truthfully, the only way I know to keep a fresh kitchen all day is toquickly tidy it before we leave,

and then take off for the day!

I’ve used gel stain here and here and here. Love it.

What is gel stain? It’s basically a thicker, pudding-like stain, that is much more forgiving to work with than your typical, watery stain. PLUS, you don’t need to sand it down to a bare finish to use it like you would for a typical stain. Yay for gel stain!!

The biggest downside is the drying time. That could also be a plus because it give you more time to work with before the wood absorbs it.

But would it work on my honey oak bathroom cabinets??

Oh yes oh yes oh yes! (it’s the big Charleston contest…I couldn’t resist)

1. you barely need to sand them down. Just to rough them up a little, I used a fine-medium grit and lightly went over them. Then clean them off with a wet rag. If they are really dirty, use a good degreasing cleaner.

2.  use a foam brush to apply the gel stain with the grain of the wood.

3. You can apply more, or wipe some off, depending on the look you are going for. As you can see, I experimented. I ended up using one good coat of Old Masters gel stain in Spanish oak and left it at that to dry.

4. Let it dry~this is the hardest step!

Try to be patient… it took a good 3 days for it to be fully dry in our bathroom, but we do live in a state with high humidity.

We also used the same staining processs on our bathroom shelves above the toilet:

5. For extra protection, especially with kids banging stools up to the cabinets, I would seal them with  a few coats of polyurethane.

It feels like we got a new vanity and shelves with a can of gel stain.

The handles are from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot. I used some of Martha’s hardware in my kitchen too and have loved them. 

Any questions??  Have you tried gel stain?

This giveaway is now closed. The randomly drawn winner is#63, Elizabeth Hunt.

I told you we decided to be a little daring in the kids’ bathroom!

We really wanted a bold framed mirror, but we did NOT want to go through the pain of removing our mirror like we did in our master bathroom. (more on that here)  I was able to meet Lisa, the inventor of MirrorMate at Haven in June (so nice!) and asked her if they would work with spray paint to add a kick of color. She kindly sent me home with a sample of the Pacifica to test it out.

pic from MirrorMate