This And That

I just spent 15 minutes looking at photos online of the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado.  We're praying that God will send rain or that He will cause the winds to change and the fire will burn back onto itself and burn out.  Like always with wildfires, there are neighborhoods that are completely destroyed and some where there are random houses burned while the neighbors house stands.

I am so amazed by the Supreme Court decision yesterday, but in the midst of this, I am holding on to the one who holds the future.  God is in control.

Our garden is a mess - we have lettuce.  We have learned so much this year.  I am ordering more seeds and we will see what else we can plant and harvest still, this year.  

I finally printed some chore charts for the kids and they seem to be working well!  This is a huge step toward better organization around here and jobs getting done without Mom having to remember to tell them to do their jobs!

Lindsay's horse Sandy freaked out the other day while being tethered in the yard to eat grass along the creek and got some bad rope burns just about her hoofs.  This caused some swelling of one of her back legs.  Lindsay used triple antibiotic ointment and bandages and ice packs, to treat her.  She would bandage, or air out the wounds, use the ice packs or let it rest, all while having Sandy isolated in her stall.  We knew the other day that she was on the mend when she started getting bored and making noise!  Her swelling is nearly gone now and the rope burns are healing and scabbing over.  We are thankful.

Today is my big shopping day.  It is also going to be 96 degrees!  Yikes - thankful for my van A/C!  I take a cooler with me in the summer as I am out for hours and hit 3 different places for groceries and do other errands.  I use ice packs in cooler bags as well, and keep meats, dairy products, and eggs nice and cold.

I am thankful for my family. We are not perfect in any way, but that is not our goal.  Our goal is to honor God with our lives. We fall short of that frequently, and I am grateful for fresh mercies, every morning.

I am seeing delightful growth in my children in all areas - emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  Rachel is officially taller than me and we think she may end up being the tallest sister.  We'll see though as we though Lindsay was going to be tall and she leveled out at 5'4".  

We have two birthdays coming up in the family.  Sarah will be 10 on July 11th.  She is having a pool party at Camp Geezer.  Kyle will be 7 on August 3rd.  I have no babies left.  They are all big kids now.  This is surprising to me at times, but I try to welcome each season of life as it comes.  I am a grandma, ya know!

Well, I need to head out soon. I am dropping girls off at work and the kids off to Camp Geezer to swim.  Tim is working second shift so he is headed out this morning for breakfast with our friends Mike and Denny.  

So much on my heart to ponder while I am out.

Have a delightful day!

Life Is Busy

And about to be a bit busier!  

Next Monday, Tim and I are taking my parents to the airport as they head out on a visit with my brother and his family.  There are 4 grandkids - all adults - and 3 great grandsons to visit, two of whom they haven't seen in person yet!  My mom is anxious to hold those sweet boys!

The Sunday after they leave Emily will be heading south for a week to attend a youth conference.  She is excited to see what the Lord will teach her during this time.  I will work her days in the store.

My parents will get back the day before Emily does, and that is also the day that Kayleigh and Kamryn head south on vacation with Kay's dad and stepmom.  She is excited.

So I think my head will be spinning more than usual as I keep track of who's coming and going and when and where and what am I doing?  Listen, if I say stupid things during that time, just overlook it will you?  Thank you.

When I was a growing up I always wanted to be a wife and mother.  God granted that wish so wonderfully, and yet I never dreamed we would have such a span of ages and that after almost 25 years of marriage I would have 3 school age kids still!  The blessings are many and I believe I will never go through empty nest syndrome.  By the time Kyle graduates from school, my granddaughter Kamryn will be a teenager and I am certain to have many more grandkids by then!

It seems as if tourist season has kicked in here finally and that is good for the store!  I will be in there tomorrow.  It is very different than my everyday life to be in the store in the city, but I like it.  I get to talk to new and interesting people, work on purchases, plan for the next season....

Life is busy, but I think that is how God wants us to be.  Busy with His work and focus on people, being involved in their lives, helping them, encouraging...It is interesting to me that God gave Adam the blessing of work, before the Fall.  And the example of 6 days to work and one to rest.

The weather has been beautiful here but is about to heat up!  July is on its way!  Half the year is past already...soon we will all be talking about our fall plans and decorating and getting our kids back into the school routine....

 We really are blessed.  Kyle and Sarah are Lyme free, by the way. I think I forgot to mention that!

My life is busy and crazy and full of these delightfully goofy people.  Blessings abound....

Our Church Is Just A Bit Unusual

 After a great church service, though missing two of our families, who both happened to be away, we ate a bit of lunch and then did some dancing.

 It was a request from one of the young men - he mentioned that we hadn't done any English Country Dancing since the Titanic Event, and couldn't we please dance soon?


Well, yes we can!  It is one of the favorite activities for both young people and adults.  The other favorite among the younger set is Ultimate Frisbee.

 We missed the great dancers from the families that were away today, but we recognized that with summer in full swing, we couldn't wait until everyone was there or we might not ever get to it again!  So we decided to dance as often as possible.


We had everyone from Moms to nearly 7 year old boys dancing....even Pastor Mike danced the Virginia Reel!  It is such a great way to spend time together and burn some energy!


Everyone is turning into such great dancers that I think we will need to learn some new dances soon!

We are blessed. I am thankful.

Thank The Lord For Air Conditioning!!!

I'm not trying to be irreverent, really.  I am truly, truly thankful...

It has been HOT here - and while today is cooler - only in the lower 90's - the heat index puts it at 100 degrees.  

Rachel and I were just out in the pasture, peeling tape and paper off of a horse trailer that Tim is rehabbing for a family from church.  Rain is coming this afternoon and he didn't want the paper to get wet and stick to the new paint job.  It is looking really good.  Black and Silver...

 Here is our trailer that he rehabbed last year - 

 I wish we had a photo of how bad ours looked before he painted it!  It had been black and white and was faded to a bad navy blue...well, I won't torture you with the details.

Yesterday, I dropped the girls at Fab Fashion and at S&S, then headed to a wholesale place about an hour away.  It was so hot, but I stayed cool in the van with the a/c and was able to find great rings and earrings for the store, oh, and hats!  Some nice straw hats for summer weddings and trips to the shore! We had sold out and I was able to find more.

Cheryl at Thinking About Home posted about summer today.  She asked what are your favorite things about summer.  Guess what I answered?  AIR CONDITIONING!

And I do like being on a break from school, swimming at my parents house, feeling mentally more relaxed, my beautiful gardens... 

So, what are you thankful for today?

Note Card Party - Hydrangea

Happy Summer!

I am celebrating today by joining Vee for her monthly Note Card Party!  It is always so much fun!  If you haven't joined us before, you really should this time!

 
     

I have been loving my hydrangea this year so this post is all about their beauty....

 

I am getting a variety of blossoms on my hydrangea this year....I love it.  With a little bit of work, wouldn't this be a stunning note card?

 If I were making this into a card, I would do a lot of cropping to this one....

 One of the best things about growing flowers is that you can cut them and bring their beauty indoors - these are in my windowless bathroom - 

 

These are on my piano....

I took all these photos with my iphone - can't seem to find my real camera these days.

My favorite is the first photo....

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my hydrangea obsession with you!

 

Friendships, Old and New

Last night I had the fun of hosting the ladies from my church.  It was a casual get together - bring a creative project or not - and come.  

I made tea - scones, mock Devonshire cream, homemade lemon curd, homemade strawberry jam.  A new friend, Amy, made cinnamon rolls and cookies and Susanna brought the most beautiful cherries I've ever seen.

Several ladies brought their daughters, too.  Amy brought her only girl Allie - they are new to our church and to this region.  Her husband is starting his residency in Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins.  They are far from home and those that they love and it is so lovely getting to know them and helping them to feel connected to knew friends.  We know we are going to love them, sometimes you can just tell.  Bonnie came with Juliet (she was making the sweetest nightgown for her youngest daughter), Kelly came with the neatest paper folding project (she was making cards), Becky and Chelsea came just to fellowship.  Susanna and her oldest daughter Laura brought their drawing pads and proceeded to do the most amazing drawings!  I started a bit of knitting - I have the most gorgeous alpaca wool! Emily and Sarah were here and Lindsay was giving a riding lesson, so for a brief time the younger girls went out to watch the lesson.  

It was such a wonderful time together.  Laid back, very relaxed the conversations went around in small groups, the whole group, and all around.

It is a blessing to share this time with these ladies.  All busy with their homes, and families and some with their own businesses.  Time for gathering is precious and we treasured this time we had.

We did miss the other ladies from our church family - Mindy and Hannah, Brigette, Ruth, Sue, Carol, Grandma Ruth and Georgia, Kim, Sonja.

I am thankful, so thankful for these women and their friendship.  It was delightful to have you in my home. 

Weeding

There is a vine that grows uninvited in my garden.  It is a vine similar to Morning Glories but it never flowers.  It just grows, spreading out in in all directions.  A little plant here and little one there and soon, if not checked, it will have entwined itself into every plant, or garden item you have.

It looks so rustic, even romantic twining its way around my red garden seat.  But it is invasive, and loves to grow.

The kids are I were weeding on Saturday and we were pulling this vine out from every corner and plant in the front garden.

It struck me what wonderful lessons are to be had in the garden, important life lessons.  God is a gardener, too and He teaches me using illustrations I can understand and relate too.  This lesson came to me quickly and I shared it with my kids.

"This vine is like sin.  When this plant is small it is so easy to pull it out by it's roots and get rid of it.  But when we let it go, and don't pull it out - the longer we turn a blind eye to its growth and invasive nature - the longer we pretend, even, that it's not there - we'll then it becomes so hard to root out.  We can pull it out of the other plants and through it away, we can get most of it, but it is really hard to get it all.  Sin is like that. If we pretend that we can't see that sin, or we don't want to take the time to do the work of rooting it out - pulling it - then it can continue to grow in our lives - twining its way into every area, making it much harder to get it all out.  But if we deal with sin right away, then it can't take hold in our hearts and lives.  We can pull it out and it is easier to maintain.  The garden of our lives will be much more beautiful without the tangle of sin covering our beauty, and bringing us down."

They got it right away - they understood it because they were in the middle of pulling the weeds that we had let go for too long, and had turned a blind eye too.

I am thankful for their teachable hearts.  That day I had run errands and had come home to Rachel and Sarah making laundry detergent.  Sarah had an index card taped to her shirt (very Sarah like) and I asked what it was about.  The card read Self-Control.  She told me that it was Rachel's idea that they each pick a word that they needed to work on - Rachel chose Patience.  She wrote a verse on her index card from James 1 and put it in her pocket.  They encouraged each other all day.  So they were open and ready for my quick little 2 minute lesson in the garden while we worked.

I am also thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit I see in their lives.  

Our goal is to weed a bit everyday.  That way we get used to it being daily work, and it never becomes a large hated chore. And when we work together we get more accomplished and the burden is lighter for everyone.

How important this work of weeding is, in both our physical and spiritual lives.  I don't really enjoy it at all, but it is oh, so necessary.

Kamryn Is Two

She got to eat all her favorite foods...especially cherry tomatoes and strawberries...

 Fun birthday cupcakes, made by me, frosted by Kayleigh and Rachel...

Tim and I got her a Cozy Coupe!  She loved it!  Her Mommy and Daddy got her the cutest 3 wheeled scooter so she can scooter with aunties and Uncle Kyle but she would not get out of the car!

She car turn the key...

Auntie Em got her the cutest green sandals!  

An adorable red dress from Auntie Rachel...Sarah made her a book, and Kyle gave her bubbles....it's just that so many of the photos are blurry....she was moving and so excited!

A shot of the party house after the chaos had died down...try to image 4 excited and loving Aunties, one hyper Uncle, a Great Grandpa and Grandma, a Grandpa and Grandma, and an Uncle Denny!  Such a thrilling birthday!

We praise the Lord for the gift of her life and for the precious little girl that Kamryn is.

She's a keeper!

A Sneak Peek!

 Kamryn turns two tomorrow - the 15th.  Where has the time gone?  I can't believe that my children are the ages they are, let along that I have granddaughter that is 2 already!  

It is fun to be a grandma - she and I have gotten to be pals and she lets out a squeal when she sees me come home and comes running! 

When Kay was talking about Kamryn's party I told her I got some bright gel colors to make frosting and she said she thought it would be cool to make the cups cakes those colors too!  Tonight while she was at work, I gave it a try!  

We think they turned out really neat!

Tomorrow we will celebrate our big girlie and share in the joy that is Kamryn.

We are blessed to have her in our lives...more to come!

Baked Oatmeal

My husband is a baked oatmeal fan.

Loves it - orders it when we go out to breakfast.

It took me years before I realized I could make it for him at home. I'm sometimes slow that way.

I found this recipe on line and it is a good one!

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients.  Add the milk, eggs melted butter and vanilla and stir well.  Stir in the cranberries.  

Now I usually don't have cranberries, so I use raisins.  And I add walnuts.  You can get a little bit creative here, use what you like.

Pop it into the oven for 40 minutes.

Serve warm with milk. 

I want you to know that I score points with my husband when I make this because he knows he is loved and was thought of!

He also loves peanut butter so I am going to have to come up with a recipe for peanut butter baked oatmeal.  I am sure it's out there somewhere!

"Mom, Could You Put Food Into A Little Bag"

and put it under my pillow?  So when I wake up in the morning, I won't have to get anyone to help me with my breakfast, I can just eat it."  

These were the words out of Kyle's mouth last night at bedtime.  He is a growing boy and always hungry.  He told me, "whenever I even hear about someone eating I get hungry."

I decided to make baked oatmeal so when he got up his breakfast would be all ready and waiting for him. 

Now, granted this is not as exciting as waking up to food in a bag under your pillow

but, it's really good stuff.

When he got up I told him that I made baked oatmeal and "Can I get you some?"

"No thanks."

Sigh...boys.

Rainy Tuesday

What to do on a rainy day.....

Dishes have been done.  

I've laundered my bathroom rug...why I ever chose white I'll never know.  I've found a dark moss green one at Target that I would like to get when they go on sale.  I do not want to pay $40 for a bathroom rug.  The white one took a beating on Sunday when we hosted our church for the afternoon...think lots of feet, feet that walked in the creek, played ultimate frisbee, shot airsoft guns in the horse pasture, picked mulberries...yeah.  White.  I must have had a momentary lapse, that's it, a momentary lapse.  And in the spirit of keeping it real - my own family does a number on it every week!

Moving on...I've made lunch, planned dinner, lit candles.  I do love Candles burning on a rainy day.

 My favorite candles...the Etsy store is on my sidebar.

My Mom is here today, hanging out and playing games - Skip Bo, Scum...Kyle and Sarah have cleaned the door knobs and wiped all the interior doors and door jams.  

Kamryn likes to play Angry Birds on my phone or my Mom's phone.  When she see us she comes and says "bird, bird".  She sends the birds flying the wrong direction but she loves it!  Funny girl.  Speaking of her, she is going to be two on Friday!  So amazing!  It is crazy to me that her father is 23 but her being two?  Wow!  We've bought her a Cozy Coupe.  She'll love that for outside when the kids are riding bikes.

This is a photo of her in all her deliciousness on Easter...

I did manage to dodge some rain drops earlier and cut some flowers from my garden.

 These hydrangea are all from the same plant!  Different colors and sizes...so beautiful.

 The feverfew is abundant this year!  I love the way it looks when it is in jars....and it is sweet in the garden, too.

Well, I guess I have rambled enough.  The rain is still falling, but that's okay, I might sneak a nap...perfect day for it...

A Great Way To Start The Week

Emily and her dad have been bike riding in the early mornings several times a week.  This morning after Tim went to work, Emily and I were the only ones awake so I suggested going out to breakfast.  She agreed and we headed out to Tanglewood Golf Course and their great little Gallery Grille.

I enjoy opportunities to spend one on one time with my kids, and with my adult daughters and our schedules it is not often that we get this chance.

I love listening to their hearts and hearing how they are growing, what they may be struggling with, what they are excited about.

Next month Em will be going to a youth Bible conference in South Carolina.  She is excited to see how the Lord is going to challenge her.  I love that.

I recognize that the years we have with our children in our home is fleeting as as Emily and Lindsay are lovely young women, these years are will come to an end sooner rather than later.

I am thankful for mornings like today and a chance to be together.  I am very blessed!

Prayer Request

Today I am taking Kyle and Sarah to our doctor's office to get some lab work done. 

They both have had some things going on - Kyle has an almost constant ringing in his ears and Sarah sometimes gets fatigue and sore legs.  

They both have had deer tick bites before and have gone through antibiotic treatments for it.  I want to rule out Lyme though, so today the get to go and have blood drawn.  They have never done this before and I am asking you to pray that they will not be freaked out, and also to pray that we will get some conclusive answers.

I know that the deer tick can pass other parasites etc, and I know that sometimes it is hard to diagnose. There is really good information on the ILADS website

Thanks for praying, friends.

What My Day Looks Like

I thought I would share what a day in my life looks like.  

Today is unusual because my van is getting the a/c charged at our favorite garage and so I needed to drive my husband in to work, and we dropped the van off on the way.

When I got up this morning, I made my bed - today is a sheets and comforter folded back kind of day - I am airing the bedding.  The pillows are all standing up nice and perky.  I have a three pillows at each place on our bed, and today I have two with red pillowcases, two white with lace trim, and two with pillowshams that match my comforter.  The feather pillow that Tim sleeps on is in front of all of these and is in a homespun red check pillowcase I made.  I also have a red floral pillow and a white battenburg lace pillow in front of all the pillows.  It sounds like a lot but it only takes a minute or less to put on and take off the bed, and they make me happy!

Here is an older photo of the bed but this is very similar to how I have it these days.

When I got home from taking Tim to work, I went out to my front garden, and cut two of my hydrangea and an armful of feverfew.

They are so beautiful!  I have the hydrangea on the piano and the feverfew by the sink.  Since I spend quite a bit of my day in the kitchen at the sink, I want to have pretty things to look at!  

In a few minutes I will leave to take Rachel and Emily into the store and then at noon I will drop Lindsay at her job at the theatre.

In between these trips out I am 

- working on stuff for the online store - still working out bugs and things....

- directing kids in their chores

- cleaning the bathrooms

- mopping floors

I also am getting the urge to rearrange a room - so it might be my room or the living room, and that may not happen today!  

I don't have to cook dinner tonight because Kay has it all planned - chicken has been marinating overnight.

Later I will go and pick Tim and the girls up from work and we will spend time together having dinner, doing dishes, talking...maybe we will watch a movie.

So what are you doing today?

I've Been Doing A Lot Of This

I don't know what it is like for you at your home.  I know everyone is in a different place in life, but here at our cottage there is a never ending procession of dishes and housework.  Especially dishes.

 www,allposters.com

I think I have washed 9 million dishes this week alone.  The other day I washed several times, in addition to the dishwasher running.  Then after an evening of fun which of course required popcorn and something to drink, I got up to a sink full of dishes.  Sigh.  I usually wash up whatever is in the sink before bed because I HATE getting up and seeing dishes piled up in the sink, but I didn't do it.  Tim sometimes prefers that I leave it until morning.  Our dishwasher doesn't work that well and we've talked of just getting rid of it and using the space for storage shelves or something.  We've got a good system going after dinner, where we all work at washing, drying and putting away.  Takes 10 minutes.  But it is the dishes in the morning and in the afternoon - I can't just leave them and cook with in a messy kitchen.  I have to clean it up first, then cook.  Then sit down for our meal, then get back up and clean it up again!  Ahhh....my Mom says "paper plates" but I don't want to waste the money on that.

 www.allposters.com

I have been doing a lot of this too.  Yesterday I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Granola Bars. 

 

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup natural peanut butter

    1/3 cup local honey

    1/4 cup coconut oil

    1 1/2 cups oats

    1 1/2 Tablespoons wheat germ

    1/2 cup ground flax seed

    1/4 cup peanuts

    1/4 cup chocolate chips

Steps:

    Melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat, stirring constantly.  It only takes a minute or two to melt.

    In mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients except for chocolate chips, and stir well.

    Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and stir til well combined.

    Let cool in bowl for several minutes.

    Place mixture into foil lined 8×8 pan and press down firmly.

    Sprinkle chocolate chips over top and press down firmly with hands.

    Place in fridge or freezer to set.

    Flip the foil out onto cutting board and cut into desired bar sizes.  I like to cut a dozen rectangle shaped bars.

    Store in fridge for best results.

 This is the second time I've made them and they are terrific.  I had been looking for homemade granola bar recipes and this is a keeper!

 www.allposters.com

This last thing, bed making, is a delight to me - I love to make a pretty bed. I have a lacy top sheet that I pull back over the comforter and then I use lots of pillows piled on...so pretty.  I also like to sneak into my kids rooms, on occasion and make their beds for them.  I want them to catch the vision of how a pretty, neat bed makes a room look great.  I also believe that having your bed made makes your room instantly look clean!  I know a few women who don't make their beds, they say "I'm just going to get back in it" but I couldn't stand to not make my bed!  A few days a week I pull the comforter and sheets back European style and air the bed out.  But even then the bedding is neat, the pillows piled on all fluffed and in their places!

Today, I am working in the store.  It's a different pace there, and I am looking forward to it.

So does your family generate a lot of dishes?  Laundry?  Require lots of food to be made?  For some reason my gang wants to eat at least three times a day and my little boy is always hungry!

I hope you have sunny skies where you are. We do today, but it's not going to last.  Good thing I mowed the yard yesterday, because more rain is on it's way.  

Have a really wonderful day, okay?

What Are You Focusing On?

I love my flower gardens.  They bring me joy - I love seeing the beautiful flowers bloom and to be able to go out my front door and sit on the step in the midst of their beauty.  I also love to cut them and bring them into the house, tucking a jar of flowers on the piano, in the bathroom, on a shelf....
 

 These roses are from a bouquet I bought for Rachel's 13th birthday!

It would be easy to focus on all the work that goes in to having these flower gardens around the house.

They all had to be dug out of rock hard soil.  We used mushroom mulch for years to make the soil more fertile.  Friends divided perennials to get me started.  I added more flowers over the years, find the ones that best suited me and the amount of time I had to spend on them.  Some flowers need more 'babying' than others.  I've stuck with peonies, some roses, purple coneflower, black eyed susan, shasta daisies, lavender, salvia, feverfew, hollyhocks, hydrangea, daylilies, iris, tulips, mums....

There are weeds that have to be dealt with as well. Lots of weeds...now weeds are mostly actually real plants that have medicinal value or are good for food - but we call them weeds because they are in our nice neat flower beds and we didn't put them there!  But I do have one vine - that looks like it is in the morning glory family but it doesn't flower is just grows wildly everywhere twining it's way around everything....It takes work to keep that thing in check and out of the gardens...

 A lot of people would look at the beauty of a garden and say "Oh, that's just too much work!"  They can't even really enjoy it because all they see is the 'work' of it.  They don't see the joy.  There is a phrase in Linda Dillow's book 'Calm My Anxious Heart' that has been helpful to we ladies from church who are doing a book study with this book;

"Two women looked through prison bars,
  One saw mud, the other saw stars."

It has caused us to look at what we are focusing on.  Am I looking at my circumstances and seeing only the negatives?  Or am I focusing on Him and all the blessings in the midst of trials and hardships?

Many women are going through real trials - pain in their marriages, children with cancer, financial loss.  Their hurt is real.  But our Heavenly Father, who is sovereign in all things, knows what we need, and He knows what He is doing to accomplish His will in our lives.

I can choose to focus on His goodness, and to learn to accept His will for my life.  I can choose to allow Him to work in me, until He finishes His work in my life. Philippians 1:6 says And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

 Linda Dillow writes of the Proverbs 31 woman in chapter 3 of this same book;

"All that she became was a result of her yielding to His sovereign control.  She allowed Him to place His brushstrokes on the canvas of her life."

I am choosing to focus on Him and His goodness.  I am choosing with His help to be busy in the role He has given to me,  to be my husbands helpmeet, to disciple my children, to encourage others....to pull lots of weeds out of both my life and my garden.

What are you focusing on?