Show Us Your Life

One of the VERY first blogs that I ever discovered was Kelly's Korner.
She is bringing back one of my FAVORITE link-ups!
SHOW US YOUR LIFE
It's my favorite because it isn't about someone's shop or business (not that those aren't inspiring) but these are about REAL LIFE. The struggles, the triumphs and the mundane all honored because of WHO we do it for :)


I'm Tenneil -- yes -- like "The Captain and..." 
My parents weren't crazy stalker fans or anything they just liked the name. 
I do too now that I've matured but as a kid I was certain I would change it some day...

This blog has been with me through 7 years now. Seven years that were anything but predictable.
When I began this blog I had left my career as an executive to stay home with our baby boy that I thought I would never have due to PCOS and world of other 'girl troubles.'

Our sweet baby boy was born with Ulnar Dimelia -- and each day was full of therapy and tests in addition to the usual diapers, feedings and other things that make up the blur of having an infant.
I blogged about all of the messes that make up everyday life,
thus the blog name "Dirty-Hands: Beautiful Life." 

(This was my first header for my blog. My little guys hand on mind)

I blogged about thrifting, decorating, cooking, and shared encouragement through my faith in Jesus. 
I learned to follow links and had a great following by email.

Then. The unexpected. The unwanted. The unforgivable (or so it felt).
Divorce.
I tried and tried to rebound into blogging and I felt so unworthy. so ashamed.

Well as you can tell from the photo above -- I have been blessed abundantly in the last 7 years and went from me and my baby boy to a family of SEVEN!! Yes -- count them 7.


I met a swoon worthy cowboy and in him I found what it was like to be friends with the one you love.
There was just that one detail -- that um...he had 4 kids.
Then there was the complication that he also felt unworthy. ashamed. unforgiven.

We took each other hand in hand and made up our minds to walk in God's grace and that Jesus' blood could cover all of hurts and wrong doings and even USE them. 

We made up our minds that all we wanted our kids to know is that we love them and God loves them so much he gave us Jesus. From that simple mission, a legacy was born.


Every day brings a new challenge. Our schedules are so busy we literally can't see straight at times.
But -- we return to where it started. Simplicity.  Love God. Love each other.

I'm back to writing and teaching with a new  purpose.
I want others to know that anytime, anywhere, in any circumstance they to 
can RECLAIM love, life and hope.


It's something we have to do DAILY.
The idea of RECLAIM is in every part of our life. We've reclaimed several properties in an effort to make a home for our family. We reclaim God's grace multiple times a day as we stumble along at this. We love to reclaim antiques, trash to treasure projects and the occasional orphaned animal.

So -- all of that to say at some point perhaps the title of the blog should change, but it's sentimental to me and every step of the way is part of what Jesus uses to make life count for something.

We call our family R7.
There's 7 of us and we've settle on 7 acres in the middle of nowhere, Iowa.

So -- I can't wait to meet you!!
There's more about us on the sidebar or feel free to browse around. 
There's always room for one more around here!

From R7 to you --
Be a blessing.


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Spring. Fresh look. Fresh start.

Where did the weekend go??
I'm not too sure.

I spent a little time celebrating my most viewed post ever!

 I do have some souvenirs from a little mom-daughter-grandaughter treasure hunt...


My mama found this great little miniature lantern.
If it weren't for all the wear and tear it shows I wouldn't love it half as much.


I think God's kind of like that with us. 
He loves us just the way we are with our chips and bruises and scrapes and scars. 
He's the One who sees the beauty in how He can use us.
He can use the broken parts and give us new life where we need it.


That's one of the best parts of spring right?!! 
New life. A fresh start. 


These old skates remind me of the longer warm days ahead...


The end of a school year! 


The season of white purses instead of white snow...
And for those who are truly from the sticks -- 


That's right -- a fresh layer of gravel on the old dirt road. 
This is a sure sign of spring!
I look forward to that grass turning green and the days getting longer.

What signs of spring did you see this weekend?

The opening of R7 Reclaimed Studio is getting oh so close...
Stay tuned. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for sneak peeks.

From R7 to you --
Be a blessing.

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7 Quick Fixes to Love Your Home More

You've heard "Love the Skin You're In." The same goes for your home.
Love the home you're in. Now. As is.

Whether it's a 1 bedroom studio, a rambling ranch, a fixer upper, or the home you've always dreamed of --- love it. Today. Here are a few tricks that help me L-O-ve our DIY home a little more...


Bring the outdoors in.
Splurge on a little bouquet of flowers if you live in the cold tundra or 
very SOON we will be able to go outside a bring a little nature inside.


Pamper your home EVERY day. Don't wait for company.
Add the warm glow of a candle for no reason at all. 


There's no doubt that we all are looking to SIMPLIFY.
Life. stuff. relationships. 
Posts about beating clutter are by far the most popular but I know that we each
have something we L-O-ve to collect. 
Gather up that collection and just enjoy it.


Get comfy. Fluff a pillow or two and not just for looks.
Use the pillow. Make your home a place of rest.


Gather up some good reads and keep them near a comfy reading chair.


Turn a lamp on. I'm just catching on to this.
Maybe I'm getting old?
The warmth of lamp light just makes everything feel more relaxed.



Find a place for something that makes you smile.
Maybe it's a saying, maybe it's a souvenir from a trip, or maybe it's something that doesn't totally go but you just L-O-ve it. It's a home for YOU so just do it!

Would love to know what you do to love your home...
Leave a comment or follow me on Instagram and I'll follow you back!

From R7 to you --
Be a blessing.

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A light of hope in the hallway

We have a long narrow hall down to the children's bedrooms. You don't see this a lot in newly built homes and some would consider it dated, but it is one of the reasons we bought our house. 

Primarily because OUR bedroom is NOT at the end of that hall.


It's great for the kids in many ways. Their doors are all so close together that even if sent to their rooms they can still conspire and chat and torment. 
There's no secret keeping as the doors are not soundproof by any means. 

And perhaps most importantly -- you can start at the other end of the house by the office and sprint through the kitchen to slide down the hall working on form and creativity as if it's an Olympic sport. Recently the boys have changed it in to a sort of bull fighting sport waving beach towels and shouting 'Ole!! to the runner charging in. Why do we take them to the rodeo?


This window frame was leftover from the Farmhouse Market sale. I thought it would break up the length of the hall by adding a little dimension. And...for those curious the far right of the photo gives you a view of the runway they use to get up speed for the aforementioned sporting events.


The collage frames are my very favorite birthday present ever. My dad put these old family photos that I didn't even know existed into frames. The photo of my grandmother above is my very favorite. I was called "Little Wanda" so much of my life because they say I looked like her. This was a roadside stop on a road trip they were on. It's timeless.


And this Cowgirl thing -- well it's not really a phase. I came by it honest. Before my grandfather squandered away all the money my family had a large farm and draft horse business.


You may have noticed this unique light fixture in the first picture.
It happened sort of randomly. At a shop I saw three of these wire basket like things on the wall. It took a few minutes for me to realize they were old lamp shades. Right now the other two are nestled into an industrial looking laundry basket that makes me feel better about dirty socks. But, this one had a life to be lived as a light fixture. 


When cowboy was installing it the fixture which I happened to have laying around didn't cover the whole for the box in the ceiling. I truly just grabbed the pie pan from a shelf in the kitchen and the idea was born. I like it when things like this happen on accident.

Side note: For those of you distracted by the ceiling. It's not quite a popcorn ceiling --
 it's like one notch above it. so be nice.


This little gallery wall won't mean much to the rest of the world, but you can imagine what it does for this mama's heart. Soon I will need to face reality and start adding in their senior pictures.
Sadness.


And for those young mama's out there wondering why on earth I let my kids use the hallway for bullfighting runway stunts --- here's my prayer. It goes SO fast. 
 

 I still want to plank the ceiling, shiplap up to 3'on the walls and put up cedar trim that better matches the rest of the house, but for now the light makes me smile.

I hope it makes you smile too.

From R7 to you --
Be a blessing.


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