Tag Archive | Home

A Love Lee Design

preview

Yes, you read the title right! Now that I have had time to rest after retiring from my nursing career, I am eager to get back to fostering my creative side again. I have missed being spontaneous; waking up each morning to work on or plan my next project. You see it makes perfect sense because it is part of who I am… The Word says I was created in my Father’s image and let me tell you…He is the ultimate at being creative!!!

So, I knew what I wanted to do but so many questions began to flood my mind…

What am I most passionate about?
What shall I create?
Where do I start?
Who will be interested?
What if I’m not good enough?

Whoa…Strike that last question! There will always be doubters and those who just won’t like me or my work. In fact that reminds me of the piece I wrote on “How Juicy Do We Want to Be”. Yep, if He births a passion within me, then I know it will be good enough because…He is the One who gifted me and placed a desire in my heart to get back to being creative.

So, I sat and read over my list and I asked myself over and over…What am I most passionate about? Then like a ton of bricks it hit me!!! Other than God and my family which is a given…I realized the thing I am most passionate about is HOME! Of Course it is my Passion…HOME! I love everything about HOME!!!

Hmmm…OK, so now what? Funny how God works, He didn’t make me wait long for that answer and he chose the perfect person to plant the seed…My dear friend Pam Stuckey is equally passionate about her home as I am mine. In-fact, our husbands shudder at the thought of us going to Hobby Lobby together! In a conversation with Pam she said, “You know, not everyone has the ability or vision for design. Would you consider helping me build Barndominiums?”. Well, after much discussion I was in and we were on our way! Pam consults on the build and I consult on the design of the floor plan, surfaces, color schemes, and flooring…Making the client’s Pinterest dreams come true!

In addition to making dreams come true for new builders, there are a lot of women who have commented, “I would love for you to help me decorate my house.” or “I wish you would give my house an overhaul.” or ” Would you consider staging my house for me so it will sale faster?”. Hmmm…More seeds planted and I have decided to nurture them and watch them grow. So, now I am expanding my services to include:

Re-Design by incorporating what you already have to create a whole new look by
- Re-arranging furnitures
- Re-hanging art
- Changing the placement of accent pieces
New Design…Out with the old and in with the new. After a consultation visit to determine budget and your personal preference, I go to work making your dreams come true.
Seasonal and Holiday Decorating you have always wanted but just couldn’t figure out how to pull it off or don’t have time…Let me help!!!

Home should be welcoming and inviting to you, your family, and your guests. It should tantalize all your senses so you crave to be there…

Your HOME, Let’s Create it Together!!!

preview

Love Lee

13912342_10204986796549643_3844331040066393600_n

Seasons Greetings

Dec28

Seasons Greetings from Our Home to Yours

We have all heard the saying “The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men”…Well, it was my plan to get this greeting out before Christmas but time just got away from me.

It has been a fast and furious year for Richard and me. Richard continues to work at BASF as a Process Technician working long hours a lots of over time. I started a new job about a year ago at Woodlake Nursing Center as the Director of Nursing. I too put in a lot of hours and am on call 24/7. While it is a demanding job, it is by far the most favorite position I’ve held. Not a day goes by without a hug from a Resident, Family Member, or a Co-Worker. Hugs by the way are my Love Language! So, while we are very grateful to have jobs we are more thankful for any time we are able to spend together.

When we do have time together, we try to connect with our Children and Grandchildren. Brandon and Sarah have blessed us with the most beautiful great granddaughter, Payton. Mike is a Senior in High School, and Cheyenne enjoying her first year in High School which has afforded us lots of family time. We have attended Marching Contests, Band Concerts, and lots of Football Games. It has been such a joy to watching Cheyenne celebrate her passion…Music! I am especially proud of Brandi and Robi for allowing her to pursue her passion!!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our girls are doing very well. Tori continues to live in Austin and comes home to visit as her schedule allows. We were able to spend a whole week with her just before Christmas which was especially nice since it was the week of Richard and my Wedding Anniversary. Tori said it best…”It is Our Anniversary” meaning we all celebrate the Love Richard and I share. Brandi stays busy being a Band Mom, volunteering at the Wildlife Refuge, and working with the Children’s Choir at church. Both Brandi and Robi are so enjoying grand-parenting!

In addition to our children, we have been blessed with a couple of extra fur babies. Last Spring a Tuxedo Kitten emerged from the woods and adopted us. Chey named him Tucker and he instantly was home! Then in October, we were blessed with a little girl Lemon Beagle pup. Chey named her Remi. She is a working pup…Everyday she goes to work with me and rounds on the Residents. While this increases my work load, I realize the worth when a Resident I had not heard speak for a good while stopped me to say, “Hey, that’s a pretty little puppy” and then smiled or Remi comes up missing and I find her cuddled in bed with one of the Residents sleeping. She is definitely a blessing to many!

We are thankful for all God has allowed us to do over the past year and look forward to the New Year. Though Richard and I have little time together, we make the moments memorable…We truly Live, Laugh, and Love!!!

As the New Year begins, we pray it will be a Year of New Peace, New Joy, and an Abundance of New Friends…

May God Pour Out His Blessings On You in 2015

Happy New Year!!!

Love Richard & Lee Ann

The House is On Fire

Aug9

What an awesome lesson my daughter presented to “The Fall Out” (a group of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders) last night. Below is the summary of the lesson written by my daughter Brandi Booth…

Great Bible study and fellowship time tonight! Tonight we talked about Trust & Obey! “The House is on Fire” activity went something like this:
There were four different rooms in our house that had an adult in each waiting for the kids to come and try to round them up. The adults were instructed that no matter what…they were to ask questions only…and refuse to be lured out of the house.
The Fall Out was told that they had 2 minutes to get everyone out of the house, before it “burned down.” The only rules for them were (1) they couldn’t tell the adults that the house was on fire! (2) they were not allowed to use force!
After the two minutes, and a million scams, bribes, and attempts to get the adults to evacuate…the house “burned down” with everyone in it!

Sometimes God wants us to “move” and we may not always know why…but ultimately if we stay in one spot and refuse to budge and only ask questions…eventually the house will burn down. We have to TRUST God! He sees the big picture…actually, He’s the Artist! He knows the right timing for everything! As hard as it may seem, even when we don’t understand something (or like it!)…we should OBEY God. Just like The Fall Out demonstrated tonight…God will do everything He can to get you to move…but, ultimately obedience is up to us and if we wait to long…we may be ignoring His protection…or miss out on a blessing!

Whenever we submit to His will and plan, it brings glory and honor to His Name through us! That is a powerful witness and testimony! Are you limiting yourself to what God has planned for you by your refusal to move or are you delaying His blessings by asking questions? Your next question could be the last chance you get to obey! Trust in Him and obey His calling for your life.

Is Your House On Fire?

Love Lee ♥

Just Like That We’re Home

Jul28

Wow…who would have thought a phone call could create such a drastic change in our life?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In September 2011 we made the decision to sell our home so we listed our place and within 30 days…It was sold! We packed up all our belongings and moved the necessities into our motor home and everything else into storage…We were going to build a house!!!

We got busy… got a survey, found our builder, created the plans, took the plans to the architect, got pre-approved for financing, and ordered an appraisal. During all this Richard was out and about driving around (waiting for me to get off work) when he ended up in a neighborhood several of our friends either currently live in or use to live in. As he was driving past one of our favorite houses he noticed a “For Sale” sign in the front yard but it also had on it “Contract Pending”. As he drove past the house the owner was in the front yard and stopped Richard to see if he needed help finding someon…Richard said “No, I was driving around waiting for wife to get off work.” Then Richard told the owner of the house we had friends that once lived in his house and that our children play there when they were little girls. He also shared with the owner how much we loved his home and inquired if the contract on the house was solid. The owner said it didn’t look like the financing was going to go thru. So, Richard left his name and phone number with the owner and said, “call me if the contract falls thru, we really love this house and would be interested in taking a look at it”.

We continued moving forward with plans to build. We met with the lender and they were making preparations to get the appraisal on our house plans. The day after meeting with the lender I arrived at work to find a voice mail on my phone. It went something like this…

Lee Ann, this is Carol. I understand you and Richard are interested in our old place. The funding did not go through and the contract expires today. If you are interested in the place, I need to know today.

Wow…my head was spinning! What to do…What to do.

First person I called was my daughter Brandi and talked to her since our plans were to build on their ranch. She said, “Mom, you have always loved that house…Go For It”. Then, I called Richard and asked him if he was interested in looking at it. His response was, “I will meet you there at lunch”.

So, for lunch on Thursday I met my Daughter, Granddaughter and husband and we viewed the house and signed a contract. In the contract we requested to keep the fridge, washer and dryer, along with all the curtains and…lease the house until it closed. The sellers agreed to the terms and just like that…We had a contract!

On Friday, I called the lender and asked if the house plans had been faxed to the appraiser’s office. She said, “no, they are laying on my desk in front of me to be sent”. I asked her to switch gears because we were going to purchase a home.

Exactly one week later, the movers delivered our furniture to the house. Our things were set up, boxes unpacked, and the house was decorated…

JUST LIKE THAT WE’RE HOME!!!

We so enjoy our new place! The house is perfect for our lifestyle with plenty of room to entertain. Open concept, lots of windows, 3 acres, a pool with cabana, and a workout room off the 3 car garage. I am now 10 minutes from my job and 5 minutes from local shops and grocery store.

Today, I am right where God wants me. He opened the door, provided the path, and cleared the way. EVERYTHING fell right into place and…

JUST LIKE THAT WE’RE HOME!!!

Love Lee ♥

We Were Strangers

Jan30

In October Richard and I sold our home and moved into our Motor Home so we could build a house on our daughter and son-in-law’s ranch. While the prospect of building is exciting it is one that is very intimidating too. Knowing this will be our forever home on this earth added another layer of complexity as we knew if we didn’t get it right…we would be “stuck” with it.

Every spare minute has been consumed with looking for a floor plan…I would ask my daughter to help me and she would say, “I don’t enjoy looking at floor plans.” So, I was on my own! Looking at books, surfing the internet, and driving around looking at homes became a daunting task!!!

Each day on my drive home from work I would pass a house that would call out to me. I loved the lines, color, size, and windows. In-fact so much so that I finally got the nerve to stop and ask the owner about it.

The gentleman was busy working in his barn but kind enough to take a few minutes and share some of the details about the house. Then he said, “my wife is not home but if you would like to see the inside you can just give her a call”. The next day I called the owner’s wife and she was so kind to invite me over for a tour.

My granddaughter and I were greeted at the front door by a precious woman wearing the warmest smile. As we stepped through the door, I was blown away…

The interior was breath-taking…

The owner provided a very thorough tour and included all the details for the decisions she made when designing her home. She had given so much thought to the floor plan and had impeccable taste when it came to interior design. Before I knew it, 2 hours had passed and we were laughing and sharing stories about our lives and our families. Then she said the words I had longed to hear since beginning this journey…”I would be happy to help you if you like”

A total stranger had offered to share my journey, help me with my floor plan, and allow me to bounce my ideas off of her…

I went straight home and got my graph paper and pencil and began to draw up what I wanted. Now mind you, I have gone through several erasers doing it but finally, I had something on paper to work with.

I took my drawing back to my new-found friend. She sat and studied it for a few minutes and made some invaluable suggestions and before I knew it…It was done and we sat and visited like we had been friends for years!!!

I find it amazing the things God uses to bring new people into our lives!!!

We Were Strangers…Now we are Friends!!!

Don’t pass up an opportunity to meet a stranger…they may end up one of your closest friends!!!

Brenda, Thank you for the gift of friendship!!!

Love Lee ♥

It’s Mind Control

Jan22

Being a woman of results it has been quite difficult to be patient when it comes to making the right decision on the type of house to build, the perfect floor plan, and the best builder for us to use. Decisions…Decisions…Decisions!!!

Life is full of decisions…

Where to work
What to wear
Who to spend your life with
What to make for dinner
How to invest your money

And on…And on…And on…

So, how do you choose?

For me, it all boils down to one thing “PEACE”!!!

No Peace…then it is a No Go!

A sense of ease must flow over me before my foot hits the ground to propel me forward. And, when there is a sense of dis-ease…I must

STOP & EXAMINE MY MIND…

What am I thinking???

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; Romans 6:8

I seek PEACE!!!

It’s Mind Control…

Love Lee ♥

Choose Now

Aug2

What are your choices? Whom are your choices for? Not just for yourself.

Choose now whom you will serve, and that choice is going to affect the next generation, and the next generation, and the next.

Choice never affects just one person alone. It goes on and on and the effect goes out into geography and history.

You are part of history and your choices become part of history.

-Edith Schaeffer

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

I love this scripture! In-fact so much so, it is the displayed at my front door so all who enter know…

As for me and my house…We Will Serve the Lord!

Love Lee ♥

Moaning or Growing

Mar8

Frequently you hear people complaining…In the grocery store when it takes longer than expected to get through the checkout, at the gas pumps over the price of gas, at the dinner table when the meal is not to their liking…Gripe… Gripe…Gripe!!!

Constant Belly Aching and Moaning…Reminds me of the Israelites when they fled Egypt and were in the wilderness. God was with them but it seemed no matter what He did they were never satisfied. In-fact…one minute they were praising God and the next minute they were complaining!!! Talk about short-term memory!!!

Aren’t we like that? God does something awesome for us and then at the first sign of adversity we are back to our Belly Aching and Moaning…totally forgetting all He has done for us?

God wants to grow us and build our faith in Him…How can we possibly grow without a challenge? It is through our challenges He is able to reveal Himself to us. It is through these challenges we are so dependent on Him. But rather than complaining we should allow Him to shine like a beacon in our lives!

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

Are You Moaning or Growing?

Love Lee ♥

But How Do You Know

Jan12

Recently I was reminded of how not all is as it seems. Just because the clouds are dark and heavy it does not mean the sun is not shining. In fact the sun is shining so bright it is a blinding light. This picture proves my point. At the edge of the clouds…The Sun Is Shining!!!

So things are tough, not enough money, the kids are fighting, no one understands you, jobs got you down, your spouse has left you and you are lonely…Things are gonna get better!!!

I can hear you asking…

But How Do You Know

Well, it is quite simple…God said,

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3

When it gets too much to bear…

He will CARRY you
He will SUSTAIN you
He will RESCUE you

He’s got this covered…No matter where you are or what is going on! God is still there whether you can see Him or not just as the sun is there…He’s got this!!!

God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!!!

Love Lee ♥

New Beginnings

Dec31

As we look to start a new year, many people build lofty resolutions only to fail. Remember that you can acheive anything you truly want but don’t wait until conditions are “perfect” as perfection rarely comes. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~Theodore Roosevelt~

Perfection

“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”~Robert Schuller~

Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable. ~Lord Chesterfield~

We are often ineffective and immoblized due to fear and there are two fears which exist in the world.

Fear of Success: That which will happen if you succeed; the changes success will create; not only for you personally but for those you love and are close too. Will your success change your life style, draw attention to you, or create a change you are not able or willing to deal with.
Fear of Failure: That which will happen if you fail; the changes failure will cause such as embarrasement, depression, and possibly loss of self esteem or motivation.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ~Jesus~

Hmmm…puts a whole new spin on perfection doesn’t it

Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are

What a profoud statment! I can not tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I don’t have —” or “My—is too small or not good enough. To that I say HOG WASH!!! God has placed you right where you are…given you what He has seen fit to give you…so get off your pitty pot and embrace what you have with a heart felt since of grattitude and appreciation. You will never have more until you learn to appreciate and care for what He has already given you.

So, while you sit and contemplate what your New Years Resolution will be this year perhaps you should resolve to be grateful for