Carpe Diem

The seasons change. The clock ticks. Time marches forward. Meanwhile, I cherish the past, embrace the now, and anticipate the future. 

There are many ordinary days of starting the laundry, vacuuming hair of Lucy the Golden-Doodle-less (a story for another time), scurrying off to my part-time job as a 'fake patient' training med students,juggling different roles, squeezing in fitness time, and hoping for creative moments to renovate Hillcrest Cottage or create new art.

Next, there are the mountain- peak days. These are the once-in-a-lifetime days which celebrate the faithfulness to the ordinary and to completing what can only be done in each 24- hour period.

To be honest, I have no idea how this particular day came to be... this college graduation day. Why? Because this son was delivered to college a mere couple of months ago. I have barely cleaned the room he left behind in Hillcrest Cottage. I wonder how was he able to earn majors in English and history from the Honors College, present a 99- page thesis paper, and receive Cum Laude recognition in such a short time span.

But he did.

And his undergrad college days are completed.

I am amazed... at how quickly time passes... I am determined... to live with no regrets.

Brother- of- Graduate & Mom-of-Graduate Waiting for the Big Moment

The University of Arkansas's Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences graduated their largest class ever. My son, however,  aheem...was one of the 140 honor graduates. He wore a red stole to signify his achievement... very scholarly of him. 

To hear his name was awesome. To see him on the big screen was thrilling.

The Big Moment

Then, came the photo 'opps'. My sweet son endured it all for me. I love this photo taken in front of Old Main... my favorite building on campus. I love the tradition of my Alma Mater's "Senior Walk" and of the school's graduates having their names inscribed in concrete. On these sidewalks are relatives' names dating back to the 1880's (when the U of A was Arkansas Industrial College). My dad's name is on a sidewalk along with my brother's, my husband's, and my own. Pretty darn cool.

Well...Hello, Mr. Double-Major -Honors- College- Cum Laude Graduate

In the following picture, father and son are literally walking in former students' shadows: Grandparents, uncles, cousins, and parents. Robin William in "Dead Poet's Society" admonished his students with these wise words:

They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.

Carpe Diem, Stuart.

Walking in the Shadows of Three Previous Generations

It is good to be the proud parent of a son who is everything any parent could ever hope to have. These are real words full of true meaning and not a frivolous toast  filling the air with fluff.

Wow...What a Great Day

Here's to the graduate! Here's to the celebration of many, many late nights and saying 'no' to other things and lonely times spent in the library and eating canned dollar store food to stretch the college loan budget. Here's to your future which is bright and shiny and yet- to- be revealed!

Exciting times ahead.

He was Extremely Diligent & Devoted to His Education

Hillcrest Cottage Entry Walls: A Tutorial

 When I am home alone, things at Hillcrest Cottage can get wild. It all began with an inspiration photo from one of my favorite magazines.

Inspirational Photo from "Country Living" magazine

Before I was left alone, my front hallway was beyond needing a new look. I had never really meant to keep it this way for so long. Originally, this hallway was a two-part paint treatment where the second coat go lost somewhere between carpooling and a baseball game. That was years ago... maybe even ten.

Before

The new treatment is like this. I love it so much! I wish the pictures would do it more justice. In person, it is incredible.

After

The base coat needs to be the darker color. The next coat is paint mixed with glaze. Take newspaper and smooth the paper onto the wet paint. It is best to crinkle the paper first so it will produce a wrinkly effect. Peel the paper off and some of the second coat will be removed.

This  technique produces a broken-down Italian villa look which ages any wall and gives an old world feeling. My walls are old... 90 years old in 2013... so this technique works well with the unevenness of the plaster.

***love***

On another part of the wall, below a chair railing which goes up one side of my front staircase, I used another technique where I applied different colors of paint onto the wall with a trowel.

The Effect is Very Playful & Fun

I am enjoying the way the wall turned out. It brightened my entryway more than I imagined that it would.

Hillcrest Cottage's Front Stairway

This whole project was  risky, but I am not afraid to experiment. I realize this look is not for everyone, but I love being different. 

"Blessing" is Our Word for the Year

Mission Accomplished!

Blessing Number Four

For over two years this guy has waited patiently to have wheels again. Without one word of complaint he waited. This was a joyful day when middle college son and awesome car met for the first time.

The look speaks for itself; some pictures do not need words.

Hillcrest Cottage is thankful for blessing #4.

I Paint Furniture

In case you haven't heard me say this before, "I paint furniture."

The following is a piece which went from "great aunt drab" to beautiful! I wanted to share it today because I am participating in Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday.

This Chest is Painted with Robin's Egg Blue by Maison Blanche

Finished with a Dark Wax Also by Maison Blanche

Slight Distressing Around Keyhole & Brown Paint Spatters

 It's a beautifully sunny day here at Hillcrest Cottage. I am thinking I might have to check out some neighborhood estate sales in a few minutes.

Happy Friday!

The Word of the Year

The Hillcrest Cottage "Word of the Year"

While I have been choosing a year Bible verse for a long time, this is only my second year to choose a "word for the year". I have found that the word is very helpful for making the verse stick better in my memory. Duh... why didn't I discover this years ago?

And... a new picture of Lucy... just because she hasn't been seen in a while.

Do You Fear the Unknown?

Do you fear the unknown? I do.

Tick. Tick. Tick. The unstoppable, continual cadence of life's clock.

Good-bye to another calendar, squares filled with scribbles, check marks, and x's. Hello to a calendar, white, shiny, and blank enough to fill my thoughts with fear, hope, anticipation, and mystery.

Fear: Empty squares could be filled with hard and unexpected circumstances. 

"My times are in Your hands." (Ps. 31:15)

Hope: Empty squares could be filled with blessings and goals achieved.

"God be gracious to us and bless us." (Ps. 67:1)

Anticipation: Empty squares could be filled with opportunity and enjoyment.

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Ps. 37: 4)

Mystery: Empty squares equal the unknown. Even in the midst of some fear, I don't want a boring life filled with predictability. What I do know is that God has already prepared a path for me this new year, and I get to discover this exciting path with every new step.
"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. " (Eph. 2;10)


Loudly, my father's last words to me echo. Strong and wise words powerful enough to alter my life's course.

"There are only two things in life which really matter: God and family."

I embrace you, New Calendar. 

With boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence I step into 2013's unknown territory.

Finishing Strong in 2012: The Report

This year of "finish" and "finish strong" has been completed. I finished a lot in 2012; some things remain unfinished. Hillcrest Cottage still has many remodeling projects left half-done.

 However, I have to say I deserve a huge pat on the back for the things which were finished well.

This is the official "Finish Strong in 2012" Report.

Finished...The Selling of My Childhood on Ebay

I am very proud to report that the de-cluttering of Hillcrest Cottage has been accomplished. The work of removing clutter is never quite finished, and I still have some fine tuning to do. But, for the most part, I have sold everything there has been to sell, donated the worthless, and given a good chunk to my now-married son and his beautiful wife. 

"Good-bye, Buffy from Family Affair! See ya in my mind's eye."

"Un" Finished... Floor...2013?

Okay... so I have a closet which still needs sheetrock, a floor half-tiled, and a kitchen half-painted... I can't beat myself up for these incomplete finishes.

Finished... 21 Years of Middle Son

Finished... 17 Years of School Lunches

Graduations are one-time ceremonies, making the school lunch is a daily ritual. 

Finished... 17 Years of Private School Tuition Payments

Finished... 7 Years of Hillcrest Cottage Basement's Weekly "Imagine Student Ministry"

Finished... The High School Graduation

Finished...The Graduation at West Point

 West Point graduation was everything I had imagined it would be... exciting, filled with pride, emotional, and fun. My only regret was that my youngest son graduated on the exact same day. How can a mom who has never missed a minute of her son's life miss his high school graduation... tore my heart out. So, imagine our delight when we were able to fly our high school graduate to South Carolina for a rendezvous and huge family celebration... one of the highlights of the Hillcrest Cottage year!!! 

Thanks to Uncle Danny and Aunt Rosanne for making this celebration possible!

Congrats to BOTH Graduates

Finished... Cadet-Turned-2LT Leaves West Point

When Hillcrest Cottage had finished two graduations... along came the wedding! 

 

Finished...The Wedding... Me & My Stuart

Finished...The Wedding...Cousins with Grandmother "Dee"

Finished...The Wedding...Me & My Davis

Finished...Last Son Leaves Hillcrest Cottage & Begins College

Finished... A Wild Summer '12... Two Boys Leave Hillcrest Cottage

The whirlwind of activity which swirled through Hillcrest Cottage from April to August left as quickly and violently as it had arrived.

Finished 2012...The BEST Christmas EVER at Hillcrest Cottage

Another Hillcrest Cottage Life post reviewed this unbelievable 2012 year. 

Epic. Wild. Emotional. Awesome. I can't comprehend ever having another year as full as this year of "Finish". This year was truly the wildest ride imaginable. This year  has left me tired, but extremely happy and thankful.

On this first day of 2013 I am anticipating the new year. We have another graduation soon appearing on the horizon. 

"Didn't I just send that second son to college last year?" 

Coming soon Hillcrest Cottage's 2013 word and verse will be revealed.

The 2012 Xmas Tree Strike is Over

 T'was the week before Christmas and Mac the Labradoodle began her Christmas tree strike.

"No tree until the Hillcrest Cottage guys plus the awesome new girl have arrived."

No one dared to cross her picket line. Hillcrest Cottage was in solidarity with the shaggy canine's plan.

Hillcrest Cottage has a very unique philosophy regarding Holiday frivolity. Traditionally, there is no tree until two weeks prior to the big day. After all, who wants to dust their Christmas tree; trees must always be real. I truly do not get the fake tree pulled out of a dusty, attic box the day after Thanksgiving. Who can sustain a "fa la la la la" for that extended period of time?

Mac Staging the Great Christmas Tree Strike of 2012

And behold, when there were yet three days until Christmas, the fullness of time had come for Hillcrest Cottage to get its Holiday tree. For, in all honesty, Hillcrest Cottage has come to realize the tree means nothing without a family to enjoy it.

The Strike is Over!!!!

The Expedition, loaded with the most important people in the world, headed to the tree farm. And the quest for the perfect tree began.

"This one?"

Our Good Friend Assists Us.

First Christmas as Married People

Clayton Saws the Trunk

Jeff Drags the Tree Toward the Car

Total Silliness...Of Course

Wow. The Griswolds.

 One for My 2012 Christmas Frame

Hillcrest Cottage's tree is not of the designer variety. It is real. It sheds needles all over the floor. It needs to be watered. It has no theme. It could have used more strands of lights.

However, it was chosen by a family who loves one another. It was decorated with ornaments from Christmas' past. It gave us a very fun and memorable Hillcrest Cottage memory. With a married son in the military, we know he will share future Christmas' with his new family and may even be many other places... but... for now... this Christmas... we are thankful to have everyone next to this very beautiful tree decorated with the love that only a family can provide.

Ta Da!

P.S. Thank you, God, for the 8" of snow which You brought to Hillcrest Cottage on Christmas day. My 2LT had been ordered to return to post by Christmas night at 11:00 p.m; the snow allowed an extra day. We had a very fun late night romp in the snow with Mac the Labradoodle, Lucy, and the entire Hillcrest Cottage family. Icing on the cake to the best Christmas ever. The days which followed were full of record-breaking power outages (80% of our city), but Hillcrest Cottage survived unscathed!