Be Fierce, Be Strong..

  “And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong, and full of fire and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.” – Mark Anthony

What a statement!  How did I arrive fierce and strong?  Looking back over my life, I think the moment I became a mother if someone or something put my children at risk, I became a fighter...some might even say a "Super Hero." 

 I was a single mother at 27 with three little boys to provide for.  Life has knocked me down more than once, and I have experienced sadness and failure but one thing for sure, I always have gotten back up.  I was never afraid to try anything. That was most apparent when I learned to talk my way into jobs that I had little or no qualifications for.  My attitude was, "They can always say no but maybe they would say Yes instead."  Not to have tried in my way of thinking would have been to have failed.  Why not reach for the moon?  I needed those jobs to support my little family, and for the most part, I heard "You have the job."

Back in those times, it was extremely difficult to find a place to live when you were a single mother with three little boys and heaven forbid you own a dog.  It seemed that life was testing me at every corner of the road but that road became like a mountain with every step I took and the higher I climbed, the stronger my legs got.  I was learning to be tough and ambitious while still maintaining a gentle spirit.  I believe today that would be called a Steel Magnolia. Our first home was a government housing project.  For us, it was a palace, and I used such ingenuity to decorate our little home.  It was pretty cute if I do say so myself.  One thing that remained constant was despite no car, and three jobs, we always ate dinner together every night. Our meals were pretty simple but they were healthy and I learned to put together some pretty amazing recipes from whatever was in the refrigerator or cupboard.  Our favorite was the"Wednesday Night Special," everything that was left in the refrigerator.  I was beginning to instill strong family values into the lives of my little boys. 

We had very little but we had a lot of love.  God was beginning to become the heart of our home.  I knew He was watching over us, as He was teaching me to be secure in the woman he made me, and despite everything happening, I kept faithful and even with tears in my eyes, I always tried to keep a smile and assure all those around me that I was just fine.  I was becoming a strong, fearless, and independent woman who never backed down especially when it came to my little boys.  I've learned to forgive the people who hurt and insulted me.  I just hung on and kept believing in myself.  

Well here I am 50 years later, the salt in my wounds isn't burning anymore, it's not that I don't feel pain because I still do, but I have learned through the years that no one will take away or dim the light from within me.  I am Fierce, Strong, and Independent and have become the heroine in my own life instead of the victim.

AGENTS WITH HEART

Sam and I, your "Agents With Heart" have a beautiful new listing coming on the market as soon as Friday. Whether you are a CAR COLLECTOR, BOATING ENTHUSIAST, OR TRAVEL BUFF, or a BAND looking for an insulated place to practice, this lovingly maintained and newly renovated home has a POLE BARN that can hold 9 cars and includes a car lift, and yes....a large boat or RV can find its way into this spacious outbuilding that is state of the art. Fully air-conditioned and a new 75" TV is just waiting for your entertainment. Did I mention a big back yard with a screened lanai home to an 8' deep pool? Haven't even touched on all the upgrades in this charming home. Just need to make an appointment and see for yourself. Don't forget to watch for beautiful professional pictures coming tomorrow. Just wanted to wet your whistle. We will be marketing this property located in a much sought after neighborhood in North Port that surrounds Blue Ridge Lake that goes out to CoCo Plum Waterway on several media sites. It won't last long!!!! Give your ❤️Agents With Heart❤️a call at 239-410-4431 and schedule your appointment. $289,900

A Shabby Coffee Table transformed to Chic Country French

Anything old can be made classy and beautiful with a little ingenuity as well as patience and time.  This table was banged up pretty bad which was what attracted me to it.  I cleaned it up with Mineral Spirits as I always do.  Then I took a putty knife and stripped some of the loose pieces of wood off to really give it a gouged look.  Next came one coat of Dixie Belle Burlap chalk paint all over the table to include the gouged places.  I used a dry brush technique.  What is the dry brush technique?

One of the key elements in using the dry brush technique with chalk paint is offloading. Offloading is the process of wiping paint off of the brush after you have dipped it in the paint. You can do this on a paper towel or other material to prepare your dry brush.  Then you just paint as normal.  You will be able to see some on the paint underneath which can eliminate the sanding process.

After the paint was dry, I used Annie Sloane's dark wax in the gouged places to achieve the dark color I was looking for.  I then taped the dark wax gouges with blue tape so they would not lighten up while I finished the project with a mix of dark and white wax all over the table to seal the paint.  Start with a little dark wax and keep adding white wax (I use a plastic knife and paper plate for this process) until I achieved my desired distressed color.  Remember you can always go darker but changing back to light can be a bit more challenging.  Apply your wax with a round waxing brush, then after the wax is applied, it's time to buff your wax.  I use my husband's old tee shirts that I cut up for my polishing cloths.  Next, some elbow grease to polish until you feel a smooth surface.  A cut piece of granite on top and now you have a beautiful Country French Coffee Table.

Looking Forward

 My thoughts today are with all young families facing the dilemma of "Do we go back to school, or continue virtual learning?"  My heart💗 goes out to all these parents, having to make that decision, and I also think of the amazing teachers having to learn an entirely new way of teaching without socialization.  I have tried thru this pandemic to look for a ray of sunshine in all of these challenges., so here goes...  While COVID 19 has turned all our lives upside down, the crisis could be a much-needed opportunity to improve family life for the better, forever.  This virus has brought hardships for most of us, and at the top is economic insecurity for many, and tragedy for those who have lost a loved one. Think back to an ordinary week with the kids, there were school and daycare drop-offs, pickups and those hurried meals without the family being present just to get back in the car to drop-off all over again for dance lessons, piano, sports and a long list of after school activities.  Do you remember the times you wished to just take a breath from it all?  Well, now you have an empty calendar and here you are, no more school, no day-care, no after school activities and you are faced with the challenge of just being able to work.  In talking to a lot of young families, all those after school activities have been replaced with much simpler things like family walks, bike rides, horseback riding, and a resurgence of family game night.   Zoom meetings have provided an opportunity to be with all our long-distance family and friends as well as those that live close by.  With more time to plan meals, dusty cookbooks have come off the shelves and old family recipes, as well as healthier meals, are being prepared.  The family is sitting together and talking These are positive changes toward more of family life and while COVID 19 will continue, perhaps day by day we will get just 1% better and soon reach a "new normal," while still remembering how it felt to lead a much simpler life where you were actually able to sit back and watch how a family can interact with one another with joy and happiness just spending time making cookies with flour all over the kitchen.  Yes, we can still look forward to smiling faces.