- kiddos painting watercolors
- kitchen table is old, they can't hurt it
- none of the eggs cracked during boiling process for egg dying
- kitchen floor is still not sticky (washed it last night)
- family members coming to visit tomorrow
- friends from high school stopping by next week as they pass by to their destinations
- Jesus loves me and the Holy Spirit helps me overcome my unbelief.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday Felicities
Friday, April 15, 2011
| Friday Felicities: Resumed |
PMS and my anxiety issues have reared their evil, ugly head this week. I hate it when that happens, but it is what it is. When Sara reminded me of this lost attitude adjuster/meme, I decided to try to let go of my pity party, and give them over to the One who created me for so much more.
"The joy of the LORD is my strength."
So, that ugly stuff aside, here are the things that have made me happy this week:
- My 2 1/2 year old boy is currently taking spoons out of the drawer, dipping them in my coffee, and licking them, then returning them to the drawer. Yes, I realize that means I will have to wash all the spoons and the silverware holder in that drawer. But who can resist a little boy who says, "Mommy, spoon for you! Drink!" This is the same boy who returned his sippy cup to the cabinet after it had been used. I love how he asserts his independence, even if the result is more work for me.
- My 5 year old daughter and her obsession with yarn. There is a pile of snipped pieces on my counter, I have no idea why she loves cutting it so much, but it's one of those endearing things she has picked up. Time for some yarn art with glue and paper in addition to the pieces I find all over.
- The weather. Both the sunshine and the rain. It's fun discovering what the precious owners had in the flowerbeds, and adding my own. And I am always amazed by how rain perks up the flowers better than watering with our hose. The kids and I are enjoying being able to play outside, whether it is in the yard or at one of the many parks. Hubby even rode his motorcycle to work yesterday. It was chilly in the morning, but perfect on the way home!
- An old friend's upcoming visit (and meeting the guy who has brought a new dose of joy to her life.)
- Our basic charcoal grill. We "splurged" on a gas grill at our old house. The starter went out, and then we gave it away when we moved. We are loving the return to the flavor of charcoal. Apparently a wild animal loved the leftovers on our scraper, it disappeared one night.
- My grill-master hubby who cooks meat on that grill.
- New friends in the making, for me and the littles. The thought of getting together with people I barely know almost gives me an anxiety attack, but it is worth it in the end.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Champion Daylilies
Last weekend, a Groupon special caught my eye. There is apparently a daylily hybridizer within 5 minutes of my house, with hundreds of beautiful varieties.
We had yellow daylilies that the builders planted the beds of our first house. They were basic yellow, single blooms, and they multiplied like crazy. I even dug some up and planted them for my neighbor when I was 7+ months pregnant with Buddy, and my friend, who professes to have a brown thumb, has not killed them yet.
So, I saw the Groupon ($12 for 3 plants), saw the convenient address, perused the website, and decided the offer could not be resisted. The kids and I headed over yesterday. The "farm" is on just an acre, but wow, the grower has maximized his space. He has a big backyard, several rows of potted plants, and the path that leads to that area is lined with other perennials. It was all I could do to stick to my plan.
Mr. Schumaker was friendly and helpful. He asked if I had grown daylilies before. And then, he totally made our day when he asked Bear her favorite color and told her she could have a plant for herself if she could pick it up. She did. :)
So what varieties did we bring home?
Here are photos from the Champion Daylilies site that show what the flowers will look like when they bloom, if I don't kill them!!! I love how each of the leaves looks distinct... for example, the peach magnolia has bushier leaves. The downside to daylilies is that each bloom lasts only a day, but at least they have multiple blooms. They are just best enjoyed outside.
Last weekend, a Groupon special caught my eye. There is apparently a daylily hybridizer within 5 minutes of my house, with hundreds of beautiful varieties.
We had yellow daylilies that the builders planted the beds of our first house. They were basic yellow, single blooms, and they multiplied like crazy. I even dug some up and planted them for my neighbor when I was 7+ months pregnant with Buddy, and my friend, who professes to have a brown thumb, has not killed them yet.
So, I saw the Groupon ($12 for 3 plants), saw the convenient address, perused the website, and decided the offer could not be resisted. The kids and I headed over yesterday. The "farm" is on just an acre, but wow, the grower has maximized his space. He has a big backyard, several rows of potted plants, and the path that leads to that area is lined with other perennials. It was all I could do to stick to my plan.
Mr. Schumaker was friendly and helpful. He asked if I had grown daylilies before. And then, he totally made our day when he asked Bear her favorite color and told her she could have a plant for herself if she could pick it up. She did. :)
So what varieties did we bring home?
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| Bear's Bela Lugosi |
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| Betty Woods |
 |
| Peach Magnolia |
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| Grey Witch with creeping phlox from the front yard added in (and the little bed that the kids and I dug and put together for it.) |
Here are photos from the Champion Daylilies site that show what the flowers will look like when they bloom, if I don't kill them!!! I love how each of the leaves looks distinct... for example, the peach magnolia has bushier leaves. The downside to daylilies is that each bloom lasts only a day, but at least they have multiple blooms. They are just best enjoyed outside.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
The quote I posted a couple of days ago ...
reminds me of the quote, "where your heart is, there your treasure will be." It is so easy to get caught up in things, the new TV, car, house, etc.
I was raised frugally. I had very few name brand items, never had a car of my own until I graduated from college, and the car my parents let me drive was an 84 cavalier hatchback with no a/c. It was kind of cute, but when my husband and I began dating, that 2 hour trek from my college to his house resulted in a very sweaty me. I stopped going on family vacations in order to work to save for my next year of college, so it's been 20 years since I have been to visit my relatives in the northeast. Thankfully some of them came to my wedding or my siblings weddings.
Anyway, my Mom has called me her "yuppy daughter" twice in the last 6 months. The first time hurt me because it sounded so matter of fact and critical. I KNOW my family, I know that joking and sarcasm are a fluent dialect of our English language, and I KNOW she did not mean to hurt. But when I heard yuppy, I heard "snob who is focused only on outward appearance." Gee, thanks, Mom.
The context? We were house hunting, seeking out the area with the best schools since my ambitions to home school our children have waned, at least for now. And when looking at the area on which we honed in, well, it apparently has a snobby reputation. Fortunately, we bought our previous house before the market peaked and sold it before it crashed, and the difference was in savings for 18 months. I really don't think it's the result of anything we did or did not do, I have friends who have had to file for bankruptcy. God-loving, grace-filled friends. It doesn't seem fair at all, it is what it is. But it makes me want to apologize, but then, there is no apology needed. Our situations are not always products of our choices. God's greatest blessing is not in THINGS, it's in RELATIONSHIP. First and foremost, relationship with Him through the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, then relationship with other people. Things will pass away.
Yesterday afternoon, I called Mom and asked her to consider coming a day or two early for their upcoming visit. We have space. More importantly, the grandkids haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. The last time they came, they left less than 24 hours later. Oh, there was a circumstance that caused them to have to leave so soon, but try explaining that to your 4 year old. All she knew was that Grandma and Grandpa left without spending much time. And she wanted more time with them. The car accident I had last summer during our visit was a blessing in disguise, because we "HAD" to stay longer while the car was getting fixed.
Mom also dropped the "y" word in our conversation again yesterday. Jokingly, of course, as we do in our family. I pointed out that my parents did the same thing when we were young... moved us to a so-called snobby area to get us into the better school district (and closer to Dad's work). Our home was not in the most expensive neighborhood, but the kids at church ribbed me for living in "Snuburbia." She went on to say she is glad we are "doing better" (financially, I suppose), and I know she did not mean to be critical in her assessment. And more importantly, I think they are going to come a couple of days early when they visit next month.
We bought this home so we would have room for family to come and stay without having to pay to stay in a hotel, hopefully the whole family at one time (well, grandparents, us, siblings, and nieces and nephews at the very least. Our extended family is huge, we probably can't fit EVERYONE, but we can try!) We did not set out to buy something this big, but it's what God provided based on the market when we were looking.
My point in all this is that while as the previously posted quote points out that our goal should not be to have more, there are other heart issues. Just because someone lives in a "big, big house" does not mean that is their ultimate goal. Those who have less are often just as guilty of judging and name calling as anyone else, intentionally or unintentionally. And now, as we HAVE this material blessing on our hands, it's our privilege and duty to try to use it for God's glory. Welcome family and friends with open arms and hearts, being gracious hosts. (Hospitality is NOT my spiritual gift, and I am not Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray). Hopefully we'll teach our kiddos that anything and everything we have is by God's grace, and we should be thankful for it and not take it for granted, no matter how much or how little it is.
I pray that we will not feel the need to fill the house with things (as so-called yuppies might, I guess), but with the intangible: love, laughter, faith and the joy of living.
reminds me of the quote, "where your heart is, there your treasure will be." It is so easy to get caught up in things, the new TV, car, house, etc.
I was raised frugally. I had very few name brand items, never had a car of my own until I graduated from college, and the car my parents let me drive was an 84 cavalier hatchback with no a/c. It was kind of cute, but when my husband and I began dating, that 2 hour trek from my college to his house resulted in a very sweaty me. I stopped going on family vacations in order to work to save for my next year of college, so it's been 20 years since I have been to visit my relatives in the northeast. Thankfully some of them came to my wedding or my siblings weddings.
Anyway, my Mom has called me her "yuppy daughter" twice in the last 6 months. The first time hurt me because it sounded so matter of fact and critical. I KNOW my family, I know that joking and sarcasm are a fluent dialect of our English language, and I KNOW she did not mean to hurt. But when I heard yuppy, I heard "snob who is focused only on outward appearance." Gee, thanks, Mom.
The context? We were house hunting, seeking out the area with the best schools since my ambitions to home school our children have waned, at least for now. And when looking at the area on which we honed in, well, it apparently has a snobby reputation. Fortunately, we bought our previous house before the market peaked and sold it before it crashed, and the difference was in savings for 18 months. I really don't think it's the result of anything we did or did not do, I have friends who have had to file for bankruptcy. God-loving, grace-filled friends. It doesn't seem fair at all, it is what it is. But it makes me want to apologize, but then, there is no apology needed. Our situations are not always products of our choices. God's greatest blessing is not in THINGS, it's in RELATIONSHIP. First and foremost, relationship with Him through the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, then relationship with other people. Things will pass away.
Yesterday afternoon, I called Mom and asked her to consider coming a day or two early for their upcoming visit. We have space. More importantly, the grandkids haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. The last time they came, they left less than 24 hours later. Oh, there was a circumstance that caused them to have to leave so soon, but try explaining that to your 4 year old. All she knew was that Grandma and Grandpa left without spending much time. And she wanted more time with them. The car accident I had last summer during our visit was a blessing in disguise, because we "HAD" to stay longer while the car was getting fixed.
Mom also dropped the "y" word in our conversation again yesterday. Jokingly, of course, as we do in our family. I pointed out that my parents did the same thing when we were young... moved us to a so-called snobby area to get us into the better school district (and closer to Dad's work). Our home was not in the most expensive neighborhood, but the kids at church ribbed me for living in "Snuburbia." She went on to say she is glad we are "doing better" (financially, I suppose), and I know she did not mean to be critical in her assessment. And more importantly, I think they are going to come a couple of days early when they visit next month.
We bought this home so we would have room for family to come and stay without having to pay to stay in a hotel, hopefully the whole family at one time (well, grandparents, us, siblings, and nieces and nephews at the very least. Our extended family is huge, we probably can't fit EVERYONE, but we can try!) We did not set out to buy something this big, but it's what God provided based on the market when we were looking.
My point in all this is that while as the previously posted quote points out that our goal should not be to have more, there are other heart issues. Just because someone lives in a "big, big house" does not mean that is their ultimate goal. Those who have less are often just as guilty of judging and name calling as anyone else, intentionally or unintentionally. And now, as we HAVE this material blessing on our hands, it's our privilege and duty to try to use it for God's glory. Welcome family and friends with open arms and hearts, being gracious hosts. (Hospitality is NOT my spiritual gift, and I am not Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray). Hopefully we'll teach our kiddos that anything and everything we have is by God's grace, and we should be thankful for it and not take it for granted, no matter how much or how little it is.
I pray that we will not feel the need to fill the house with things (as so-called yuppies might, I guess), but with the intangible: love, laughter, faith and the joy of living.
Tackle It Tuesday
It's been a while. I am not going to tackle these things today, but am posting the pics as a reminder of a couple of the bigger projects I want to tackle this Spring/Summer.
It's been a while. I am not going to tackle these things today, but am posting the pics as a reminder of a couple of the bigger projects I want to tackle this Spring/Summer.
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| What are your favorite do it yourself landscape and garden sites? This space has so much potential to be a retreat where we can read a book, sip a smoothie, etc. |
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| Another view of the swing area. |
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| This bench was in our front yard, but the extra stroke of trim paint from the windows in addition to the need for TLC just got on my nerves. It's probably going to happen before the swing retreat area. **** My actual tackle list for today is much more mundane, for the most part: 1) wash, dry and put away dishes in the sink 2) take a shower 3) wash the sheets from Bear's bed and the guest bed 4) sweep and "shark" the floor- kitchen and downstairs, at least 5) the big one- fill out paperwork for Bear's Kindergarten registration and go to the open house tonight. And apparently little mister who just sat on the potty but did nothing has now done something in his diaper. Oh, joy. So changing diapers is still on my tackle list. |
Sunday, April 03, 2011
5 weeks
We've been in our home 5 weeks. Kate blogged that this was 5 year old Lucy's first day at home since February 19th. While they were beginning the hell of Lucy's health problems, we were moving out of our cramped apartment and into our dream home.
I have been so touched by their story. I don't know them, although I think we attended the same university. Perhaps it's because Lucy is just a few months younger than Hannah, maybe because I had a small cancer scare personally a decade ago, but Kate's faith through the journey she's been handed has been such an inspiration.
It's crazy that 5 weeks can mean something so different depending on your situation.
Here's the link to their blog if you want to follow, and pray along:
We've been in our home 5 weeks. Kate blogged that this was 5 year old Lucy's first day at home since February 19th. While they were beginning the hell of Lucy's health problems, we were moving out of our cramped apartment and into our dream home.
I have been so touched by their story. I don't know them, although I think we attended the same university. Perhaps it's because Lucy is just a few months younger than Hannah, maybe because I had a small cancer scare personally a decade ago, but Kate's faith through the journey she's been handed has been such an inspiration.
It's crazy that 5 weeks can mean something so different depending on your situation.
Here's the link to their blog if you want to follow, and pray along:
garden envy
I am trying hard not to cover my neighbors. For my kids? I want to get them a swingset. For me? I want dirt. Yes, I covet my neighbor's dirt.
There is a house down the street with a 3 tier garden into the slope of their side yard. And brick walkway up the center. Framed by posts, not railroad ties but those other landscaping posts.
We met the owners today. And several of the neighbors who were just hanging out in the yard with them. The dad/husband is the one who almost ran us off the nature trail when he gave his daughter a ride on his wife's Spree scooter. Not really, but I had to give him a hard time about the "no motorized vehicles" sign that is posted.
Anyway, the problem with my garden envy is that I want the end result but I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to the work that a garden requires. Maybe I'll just go buy some large pots and grow cherry tomatoes in them.
I am trying hard not to cover my neighbors. For my kids? I want to get them a swingset. For me? I want dirt. Yes, I covet my neighbor's dirt.
There is a house down the street with a 3 tier garden into the slope of their side yard. And brick walkway up the center. Framed by posts, not railroad ties but those other landscaping posts.
We met the owners today. And several of the neighbors who were just hanging out in the yard with them. The dad/husband is the one who almost ran us off the nature trail when he gave his daughter a ride on his wife's Spree scooter. Not really, but I had to give him a hard time about the "no motorized vehicles" sign that is posted.
Anyway, the problem with my garden envy is that I want the end result but I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to the work that a garden requires. Maybe I'll just go buy some large pots and grow cherry tomatoes in them.
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