Oh, my goodness, it's a crazy-busy week here at My Place. What's it like at yours? You know the #RiskRejection posts I wrote? The ones telling you about deciding to put our old house on the market continuing to downsize our life–to upsize our faith preparing for a broken heart – and researching needs of children in my own community organizing workshops for the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit – sharing Hope Unlimited's successful residential model with orphan care providers worldwide talking taboo – and volunteering to be a CASA – and hoping to facilitate another movement in my community All of those things are picking up speed this week. ALL of them! The sign is in the yard, showings are ... Keep Reading...
Search Results for: #RiskRejection
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The JOY of Simplicity
Every time I walked into the room, I smiled. Every.single.time. It didn't hurt that the view was breathtaking and the company delightful... or that the food was "to die for" – but I smiled because I experienced the JOY of Simplicity. Rather than filling the dining room at The Cliffs Preserve (Patagonia, Chile) with an overabundance of flowers and "expected" table decor, the staff practiced what is perhaps a tablescaper's best kept secret: ... Keep Reading...
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The Gardens: Old House Renovation Story
Over the past few weeks, I've shared with you our Old House Renovation Story. You saw the rebuilding of the front porch – and the house itself. You saw the garage/Mudroom addition. If you missed any of the tour, you'll find links listed at the bottom of this post. Today, I'll show you the back patio and some of Renaissance Man's gardens. Fortunately, our century-old house came graced with several beautiful trees (oak, white dogwood, redbud, magnolia) and a few pretty plants (Lily of the Valley, holly, old roses). Beyond that, virtually everything in the yard was added over the past seven years. Plantings... Fencing... Brick patio... We're told there was once a brick mill behind our house, and we found evidence ... Keep Reading...
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Upstairs Bedrooms: Old House Renovation Story
Welcome to My Place to Yours™ and the continuation of our Old House Renovation Story. We've already seen the downstairs rooms and the mid-level bathroom. If you missed any of those parts of the story, the links are added below this post. Today we're headed the rest of the way upstairs. In reality, I'm listening to the roar of the surf and sitting in front of a fire at the most wonderful villa in Puerto Varas, Chile! More about that soon; just wanted to mention it now so Mom and Dad will know we actually did make our flight out of Bogota'! When I first laid eyes on the upstairs landing, it was wrapped in very old flocked wallpaper. Renaissance Man said it looked like a bordello and should go. But I loved it – ... Keep Reading...
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Upstairs Bathroom: Old House Renovation Story
Welcome back to the next chapter in our Old House Renovation Story. So far, you've seen all of the downstairs except the mudroom; I'll show you that later when we head out to the back yard. If you missed previous posts, they're all listed below this one. Once again, let's start today in the Living Room where you've just stepped in the front door. The staircase in this 1907 house is straight across the room in front of you. ... Keep Reading...
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Flowers on the Compost Pile…
Life used to be black and white. And then my husband walked out. Two young-daughter-loving, church-going, Sunday School-teaching Christians got a divorce. And this then 28-year-old, married-almost-10-years, young mother got a rude awakening. Life wasn't black and white. It was multiple shades of grey... and they were messy. Her children did nothing to deserve their new reality. It was during those difficult days that I heard a story (I wish I remembered the source) about what beautiful flowers grow on a compost pile. Right then, I prayed that God would take the compost pile of divorce my daughters just had forced upon them and let flowers grow. Big, beautiful, sweet-scented ... Keep Reading...
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The Kitchen: Old House Renovation Story
It's said the kitchen is the heart of the home. When I first saw my old house, she needed a heart transplant... and Renaissance Man and I were blessed to provide it. In fact, the Kitchen was the first room we tackled. Have I ever told you demolition is perhaps my favorite part of a renovation? Why? Because only then do I know the project is really going to happen. Love it! As for the surgery... We couldn't clear out the mess fast enough to suit us! The horrid old cabinets and countertops The five layers of old vinyl and linoleum – with water puddled between each layer The rotted floor and subfloor The drop-down ceiling with its translucent panels and fluorescent lighting The ... Keep Reading...
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I’ve decided: I don’t love homeless people.
How are you doing after all of our recent talk about RISK? Did you just tune me out? . . . Does that question make you a little uncomfortable? If you’re feeling a little squirmy right now, keep reading. This letter is coming straight from My Place… to yours. To YOU. Dear (insert your name here), If you followed my recent #RiskRejection posts (and hopefully some linked up at Amy Sullivan), your heart may be telling you it’s time to take a risk. Not just any ol’ risk for the sake of risk taking, but a risk for Jesus’ sake… for the sake of our world… for the sake of your soul. Does that scare you silly? I totally understand being paralyzed by fear. Fear of ... Keep Reading...
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Another City Girl : Country Girl Moment…
I took a RISK this morning... leaving the warmth and safety of my home to venture out into single-digit temperatures (a warming trend from the pre-dawn negative 7). It was worth it to see some of my favorite sites in the snow. In the city... Click any pic to get a closer look! The house at the top left is Glenmore Mansion - a local favorite. And in the country... The house at the top middle pre-dates the Civil War. I know some of you have had more snow already this Winter than you want... but (although it wasn't our first snowfall) this was our first absolutely gorgeous, super-powdery snowfall, and I had to share it with you. Besides, I know some of you are City Girl:Country Girl like ... Keep Reading...
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Old House Renovation Story: In the beginning…
The first time I scoped out my old house, it was with an eye to "fix it and flip it." You see, the designer in me had a dream of giving a boost to some of the neglected old homes in town. Fortunately, my local banker friend liked the idea–and my business plan–and so an offer was made on the house... and accepted. The old gal had some issues, but as far as I was concerned, she was entitled to them. After all, it was September 2005, and she had been standing in that same spot since 1907. She'd experienced a little "remuddling" but nothing substantial, so mostly I was facing original elements. Usually that's fantastic, except original knob-and-tube wiring doesn't fall in that category. But I'm getting ahead of ... Keep Reading...
Start Here
Welcome to My Place to Yours This is the house many of you have come to associate with me . . . and this thrift store shopper knew it was perfect the minute I saw it on a painting at Goodwill! Unfortunately, it isn't signed, and there's no way to attribute its happy whimsy to the artist, so I'll just have to say, "Nice job -- I love it!" . . . Years ago when I moved my site from Blogger to WordPress, this little house was the one thing I insisted make the move with me. How about a tour? This site has two navigation bars: The one in the top right corner tells About me ... and what you can expect to find when you visit here. It also gives you a way to Contact Me ... and some reasons why you might want to. Finally, there's ... Keep Reading...
