The Suede Sofa Blog

{One Sure Way To Drown}

One thing my family loves to do in the SuMmEr is go to the swimming pool. My 4-year old, Belle, loves to jump into the pool and swim to me. Last week after she had finished one of these drills she said,

“Momma, I didn’t worry, because worry will make you drown.”

She was referring to something I had previously told her along the lines of, “Whatever you do, don’t panic. If you panic you can drown.”

Although she got my words mixed up a bit, she had made a PrOfOuNd statement,

“Worry will make you drown.”

Maybe worry isn’t an issue for you. Instead it may be depression, sadness, fear, regret, doubt, despair or some other debilitating factor in your life.

Regardless what you may be facing, if it is overwhelming it can make you drown emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.

So what is the answer?

Faith. Faith is the LiFe-PrEsErVeR of our soul.

And although faith doesn’t take you out of the ocean of turmoil you may be in, it will keep you afloat until calmer waters prevail.

So whatever you do, don’t panic. Hold on to your life-preserver and don’t let go.

Robynn~

P.S. Here is a life-preserver of faith I like to hold on to in difficult times:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Who’s Paying the Price?

Have you had a cruddy day at work recently? Did something not go your way? When these disappointments or frustrations happen, who do you take it out on? People at work or your loved ones that had nothing to do with your Bad DaY?

We can all use the reminder every now and then. Don’t take out your bad day on the people you love the most, just because they are the ones that you spend the end of your day with. We can all relate to MoMenTs when we were having a wonderful day and our loved one walked in the door and immediately changed our mood for the worse.

I especially have to ReMemBer this with my kids. When I am stressed my voice ends up yelling when, on a normal day, I would speak to them in softer words. They look at me like, “What did I do!?” and deep down I know that they didn’t deserve the treatment I gave.

So whoever it is–spouse, friend, kid, co-worker–try to bite your tongue and let out your frustrations doing something that won’t bring ThEm down (go on a run, pound into a pillow…whatever you can!). I guess I am writing because I need this reminder more often than I’d like to admit!!

Honestly,

Lara

Breakfast Sandwiches

I am filling in for Robyn today and will post again on Friday!

School starts tomorrow and I’ve been making a list of all the breakfast mEaLs I want to have prepared for Leanne each week. (When Doug was growing up, his Mom would make him a different breakfast food for each day of the week. Like oatmeal on Mondays, sandwiches on Tuesday, etc) Wasn’t that such a good idea? And it keeps you from scrambling each morning, trying to decide what to make the kids!

I thought I’d share one of our fAvoRites. It is super easy and our kids actually beg us to make it! I also like that it sticks with you throughout the morning, so you don’t get hungry until lunchtime!

All we do is:

1) Fry up some bacon and eggs (to your liking).

2)Toast some bread and spread it with jelly (we like strawberry!).

3)Stack the egg and bacon in between your bread and cut at an angle.

4) EnJoy!

For the men out there, Doug likes a “double decker” (as shown in the picture) so he uses three slices of toast, two eggs and a few slices of bacon!

~Lara

{How To Add Effects & Words To Photos}

I think it is kinda funny, ME, writing a post about editing pictures. That’s because I really am techno-challenged. {Is that a laugh I just heard all the way from Lyndon, Kansas – 90 miles away?! Yes, I am quite certain Lara is laughing because she has taken too-many-to-count phone calls from me with my computer conundrums!}

Maybe you can relate. The thought of trying to edit a photo on your computer sounds equivalent to mastering the Amanar vault. (The famous & incredibly difficult vault of Miss McKayla Maroney, of TEAM USA Woman’s Gymnastics.) Sorry, I’ve been a bit immersed in the Olympics these days as many of you may have been as well. :)

Anyway, I want to share with you a couple of internet sites where you can edit photos in a few minutes. Seriously!!! It really is simple. (Sorry, for those of you who are yawning because this is so last year’s news. )

So, it all began with an idea and a pith helmet. As members of the Chanute Tourism Committee, fellow committee member Jacquelyn Borgeson, and I thought it would be cool to start a Facebook marketing campaign by taking pictures of SoMeBoDy, SoMeWhErE in our town with a pith helmet inspired by our own famous OsA JoHnSoN. (You never know where the pith helmet will show up and on whom.)

This photo came from the Martin & Osa SAFARI MUSEUM

So, I began to look online for a site where I could add words to the above photo as well as to the photos I take. I wanted to add our town’s motto “Live The Adventure” along with the name of the people in the picture.

And these are the sites I found:

pixlr.com/o-matic/ – add effects and borders

befunky.com – add words

I’m sure there are sites where you can do one-stop shopping. I just like these sites and don’t want to spend the time to find new ones. (At the end of this post I will give step-by-step instructions to help walk you through the process).

Here is the original Osa photo after a border and words were added. I was going for a postcard-y look…

Here’s another tourism photo:

The original photo…

Add an effect (notice the change of color compared to the original? I chose a 70’s – looking effect) and a border…

Then add words.

This photo I took in Bonner Springs, Kansas behind Moon Marble Company last fall…

Add effects and border…

Finally, add words.

Here’s a little pizzaz I added to a random wedding pic…

The original…

A photo from my childhood…

The original…

Now that I know how to add effects and words, I plan on making photos similar to this for my girls’ 1st day of school coming up in just a few days!!!

Go to pixlr.com/o-matic/
Select a pic from your own photos or practice by trying one of the photos displayed at the bottom of the page where it says, “Try one of ours.”
Once you have selected a photo it will appear in the white developing tray.
Beneath the white developing tray are numerous effects that you may choose i.e. “Harry”, “Hagrid”, “Karen”.
After you chose the effect you would like, click the double arrows (>>) at the bottom of the page. This will take you to a new set of effects such as “Beep”, “Bocea”, or “Bubbles”. I usually don’t use any of these, but it is fun to try them out. (At this point the meter at the bottom of the page will be on green.)
To select a border, click the double arrows (>>) at the bottom of the page once again.
Once you select the border you like, click “Save” at the bottom of the page. (The meter will be on yellow.) Name the photo and chose a location where you would like to save it to i.e. a picture folder.

HOW TO ADD WORDS

If you want effects and/or borders, do the above steps 1st.
To add words I go to www.befunky.com You can add borders and effects at this site, however, I like the effects at pixlr.com better. (From what I can tell, pixlr.com does not have word functions.)
Once at befuny.com, click on the box that says, “Add text, speech bubles >>”
On the upper right hand corner click “Upload” and then select the photo you would like to add words to.
Select a font on the left side of the page.
Once you select a font style, the font will appear (in the words “Write Text”) in the middle of the photo. Click the “Write Text” and a box will appear around the words. Move the box to where you want the text on your photo.
Change the font size by moving the blue dot under font on the left side of the page.
Change the color of the font by clicking the black block on the left of the page.

Happy Editing!!

Robynn~

Worth the Investment

Last week Doug and I went on our first dAtE in quite a while. I can not tell you how great it was to be able to eat a meal and hang out without being interrupted! We were able to talk about things beyond the everyday “stuff” and found ourselves LeArNinG new things about each other, simply because the time was devoted specifically on us.

When the bill came to the table, I initially shrieked at the price because we are the type of people that try to be conservative with our spending. Plus, my hiStoRy has always been to talk myself out of having a date night because it will cost too much—babysitter, meal, entertainment—not to mention all of the work to get the kids ready.

Well, as Doug pulled out his wallet he said, “It was well worth the investment.” How true! I’m not saying that you have to spend money in order to have qUaLity time, but whether it is the money you spend, the appointments you cancel or the things you put on the back burner, you are making a good investment by setting aside these things for your marriage.

It’s time to make your relationship more of a PrioRity. You may think that you and your spouse have drifted so much that you can’t even muster up the confidence or energy to ask them on a “date”. Or maybe you feel guilty leaving the kids because you don’t get to see them enough as it is. Let me tell ya…it is wOrtH iT. The MOST IMPORTANT thing for your family is the time you spend with your spouse. The more quality time you can spend together (without smartphones, distractions, etc) will result in happiness for not only you, but your kids too :)

(As you all know…no relationship is PerFect and they all take work. Click here to read some of our other marriage posts!)

~Lara

Out for Dinner…With the Kids!

Growing up my family had a tradition of going to a local pizzeria for dinner almost every Friday night. It was a tiny restaurant that had a jukebox in the back and my sister and I loved waiting to hear our weekly selections…our favorites were always Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Love is a Battlefield! The regulars knew us and the waitresses waited to see us each week. The place wasn’t fancy but the memories of this special night out with my family have StUcK with us. Having a family of my own, my husband and I started this same tradition with our own kids. Every Friday night we go to our favorite local restaurant for the BeSt brick oven pizza around. Everyone knows us at Bella Gente and it has become our home away from home on Friday nights. The only problem is, keeping my kids occupied so my husband and I can also enjoy our Friday night.

Many restaurants give kids crayons and a menu to color on while you are there eating. The problem is…the crayons are poor quality and break or don’t really work and if your kids are too young to read, then what good are the activities on the menu? I found small plastic containers at my local craft store that I knew would fit a box of Crayola crayons (they are on sale everywhere now for back-to-school). Then I bought a pad of plain post-it notes to put inside the container with the crayons for my kids to color on. Now instead of using broken crayons that don’t really work on a menu they can’t read, they can draw pictures on their sticky notes with whatever colors they want! The boxes that I keep these in fit right in my purse and have made eating out a much more EnJoYaBlE experience for all of us!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Home Sweet Home

Well, I am finally able to wrap up our “moving” jOurNey! We’ve been living at our new location (north of Lyndon) for 5 weeks now and are feeling settled!

It has been a productive and fun last few weeks. First off, Robynn and her family stopped by to see the house before it was placed on the foundation. They were our first official viSiToRs!!

The house was placed on the foundation the day after it got here and then we were busy getting the utilities hooked up.

We built the wall for our walkout basement.

Doug and his Dad bUiLt our deck on the back of the house. Remember, this use to be the FRONT of our house before we moved it!

In the upcoming weeks a construction crew will come and put our new addition on the front of the house (see where the footings are in front of the red door). We will be excited to have that space back again!

We are still far from having the place LoOk the way we want , but at least it is functional. The most important thing is that are H O M E with a happy family to fill the rooms. The rest will come!

Thanks for following this journey with us! What an eventful couple of months it has been! I will be sharing some more before and after pictures of our projects throughout the fall, so stay tuned!

If you missed my other posts leading up to this point read Why Move A House? , Demo Work , Moving Day, Moving Our House and The Official Moving Day

~Lara

Mommies…Can’t we just support each other?

I have to admit I am a total junkie for the Your E Cards that have been popping up all over Facebook and Pinterest, but this one really pushes my buttons. When my son was born my husband and I made the decision together that I would leave my job and stay home to raise our kids. I understand that this choice is not something that is possible for every family and that there are many women who may not want to leave their career. However, I am finding there is still a disrespect for the stay-at-home mom with the “What do you do all day” AtTiTuDe and in turn the working moms seem to face the, “Oh you’re so lucky you get a break at work” NoNsEnSe!

Keep in mind…I’m not an expert. I am basically going off of my own experience and that of my sister who is a working mom of a 3 1/2 year old. In this day and age we are all just trying to get through the day whether we work or not. When are we all going to WaKe Up and realize that stay-at-home, working, part-time, full-time, married, divorced…WhAtEvEr…we are in this together. Instead of putting others down or making them feel inferior maybe we should take a minute and think of what their day might be like. I think a better rule of thumb would be…

Don’t Judge Until You’ve

Walked A Mile In Their Shoes

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

The Official MOVING Day: There Goes the House!

The day FinAlly came! The movers left with the house around 9:15 am. They weren’t sure how long the move would take, as this was their LONGEST move they’d ever done. Yep–over 100 miles! They couldn’t take the highway the entire way, which means they had to detour by taking side roads and gravel. We didn’t know if they’d have to stop and leave it for the night or what would happen. Check below to find out :)

Headed down Hwy 75

Entering Yates Center

Going through stoplight at Yates Center! It was fUnnY, someone called Doug right then and said, “Hey, I swore I just saw your house go through Yates Center?!”

Northbound on Hwy 75. This would be the longest stretch they could take on the Hwy, which was about 25 miles.

Even got to pass our HOUSE on the highway! wEiRd!

Doug headed to the new place and the kids and I stopped at my parent’s for lunch. Afterward, we were on the HuNt to see if we could find it. Not knowing where the house would be, we decided to start in Melvern and backtrack. Much to our surprise, this is what we saw when we popped the hill! Let’s just say…they are making great time!

Went right in front of the school I went to as a kid!

Headed north out of Melvern.

Big ThaNks to all the farmers and people on the road that day who had to pull over to let the house by!

Garrett and Leanne as we followed the house. As you can see, it can be eXhaUstiNg..and ExCitiNg! :)

Police escort driving through downtown Lyndon! This is where the kids will attend school.

Headed East on 268 toward Pomona.

A dUsTy trip on the gravel roads…so glad we sealed up all the doors and vents! YiKeS!

WE MADE IT! Victory Hug!

Pulling in the new driveway at 5:35 pm. They made it in 8 1/2 hours! Woot Woot!

Parking it next to the foundation!

Remember how I said God coNsTanTLy assured us that moving our house was the right thing to do?! This is what we saw as soon as the house pulled in the yard. Coincidence? I think not!

We are on the home stretch! Next Friday I will share a few pictures of the house on the new location and let you in on some of our pRojEcTs we’ve already done in the last 4 weeks to make our place more like HOME!

If you have missed my other posts leading up to this point read Why Move A House? , Demo Work , Moving Day and Moving Our House!

Again, we give all the credit to Unruh House Movers! What an awesome crew!

Cheers!

Lara

Upcycled Winowpane Table

Take a look at my latest project! My neighbors put all new windows in their house and I took their old ones for my endless projects! I turned this square window into an end table for my living room.

window1 — Old window before I sanded off the old paint and dulled the rough edges

window3 — Found these table legs at Lowes for about $10.00 each

window4 — Gave the table a new “Old” look using acrylic paint and a weather crackle effect!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)