Friday, June 25, 2010

Sister's Shoebox Swap

Recently I participated in a Sister's Shoebox Swap hosted by Monica and Carrie.  It was a truly delightful experience as I was able to "meet" a lovely Australian lady who is originally from Germany.  Regina is truly a breath of fresh air and you should see the package I received in the mail!  And it only took two days, yes you read that correctly two days, to get from Western Australia to the middle of the U.S, yep Indiana.  It came at such as opportune time as I was feeling a bit peaked from the tooth gone bad... (let's just leave it at there was infection under an old root canal which required extraction... and then a case of dry socket even after following doc's instructions!!)  Regina is truly a talented lady!  You should see the stunning pictures of her gardens and house.  She truly has an eye for beauty and such a sweet spirit!!



Not only was it beautifully wrapped (I started to include the front of the package when I realized it has our full address!)


The package included a beautiful scarf which I later found out she purchased from an op shop (similar to our thrift/consignment stores, I think) which I personally think is so cool!  Yes, I know I used the word cool at my age... I love finding a good deal especially if it means being able to repurpose or regift something!!  I hate to see things go to waste.  Now back to this incredible package... Litle packages of Australian native seeds, mixed chocolates, macadamia nuts, cinnamon macadamia/almonds/cashews, honey roasted nuts, adorable buttons, australian flags (the kind on toothpicks), fruit balls, (pineapple, date, cherry, and pawpaw), a small jar of Vegemite, a box of chocolate covered macadamias, wonderful teas, a butterfly, small orange tongs, a natural hand scrub, pasta w/ a map of Australia on the box, iron bark honey, Lucas papaw treatment,  mango & macadamia conserve, and the most incredible piece of native Aborigine art!  Oh I almost forgot about the homemade ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Air Corps) cookies (they were gone before the day was out!!)  And everything was wrapped with ribbon and a small flower.  (I see the flowers being used in an arrangement!) 

Regina, I know you don't have a blog but I wanted to just say how thankful I am!  You truly went over and above with this box!  And I must say I am truly enjoying getting to know you and look forward to the future and getting to know you better!

These are the things I put in Regina's box... 




Because Regina does not have a blog she asked me if I would post a picture of her box from me...

"the parcel arrived today! Thank you so much. The scarf is beautiful & I really like it and will surely get a lot of wear out of it, I can't wait to try out the tortilla press and we've devoured the chocolate bars already :) Came home and were rather hungry, so the choccy bar came in very handy. The soap smells and looks really nice and again I'm wanting to try it out straight away.


I've taken a photo, will you be able to put it up on your blog, please? ...... It will be interesting to see what everyone has posted/received. The photo is attached.

Thank you very much for all the goodies - it is nice to get a surprise parcel! Must do this more often for others, it's so much fun as well." - Regina

I can't begin to say what a blessing this has been.  Drop on over to Carrie's to see the other posts!!

Edit: Mrs. K was kind enough to point out both addresses were visible so I took a minute to photo shop them out!  Thank you

Monday, June 21, 2010

My "Baby" is almost all grown-up....

I guess I ought to say my firstborn is almost all grown up!  I've watched as this young man


has grown into this young man.



This young man who is diligent in his work, at times mature beyond his years, introverted, a helper at home, and excels at school passed a milestone in his life on Friday...

He got his DRIVER's LICENSE!! 
Passed the written test on Wednesday with a 100 and then passed the driver's exam on Friday.
(All we have to do is add him to our insurance today!)

My little boy is becoming a man... and I am not sure how much I like it.
Yet at the same time I am so excited for him. 
I know he will graduate in two years and then be off to college
or the Marine Corps
or BOTH.

My prayer is that he will continue to grow in the Lord.
That he will draw nearer to his Lord and Saviour as he matures and starts to make more of his own life's decisions.

I just thank the Lord for the years he has given us so far and for the years to come!!!
















PROGRESS....

Wow did we ever have a full weekend!  Friday evening we "worked" at the Relay for Life until the storm hit then there was a stop at Mickey D's on our mad dash home.  I felt so bad for the guy working the drive through as the wind and rain came pouring in his window every time he opened it.  About 10:00 p.m. the pool guy arrived delivering water for the new above ground pool!  Their truck broke down early in the day so they decided to make rounds late into the night... I really should have taken pictures but let's just say I was a little under the weather.  Oh yeah, I had a tooth extracted Thursday morning because there was infection between the roots but not into the jaw.  I know that in itself is an answer to prayer and a blessing in disguise.  I keep telling myself that as the abcess continues to drain.. ugh!  I am currently on a cocktail of penicillin, ibuprofen 800, and hydrocodon (Vicadin which I've not taken yet!!!) for a week, minimum.  Then we reevaluate the "site" and determine if the "course of treatment" needs to be extended an additional 7 days.. :)

But my tooth (or lack thereof) did not slow us down!  On Saturday we puttered around the house a bit more and saw "Prince of Persia" at the theatre as a belated present for Evan.  The boys spent several hours on both Saturday and Sunday in here...

By the way, this is what things look like today... We had the storms Friday evening and they have started up again as of early this morning.  There is so much flooding going on around here!!  I feel so bad for the farmer behind us as the amount of field underwater increases as the hour goes by! 


But you should see what was accomplished over a few hours on Saturday... 




Please excuse the bad lighting... this room does not lend itself well to photography without backing (and I no, I did not set any lighting...)  We replaced the old damaged lights (cracked glass from the movers), changed out the white shades, bought a new clock (50% off at Hobby Lobby), purchased a square storage ottoman (70% off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, "old stock"!!) and the rug at Goodwill.  The accessories have been gifts over the years, yard sale finds, or recent "finds" at The Original Treasure Mart.  I love that store!!  It is a consignment/"antique"/flea market type "mart" which has some great stuff!!  I found the Coke crate plus Dr. Pepper and Canda Dry crates for under $10 for the three!  And they are originals!!! We are planing on lowering the TV as it is just too high.  The cords  are not normally "out" for display but its a "game" day today so... :)

And last but not least we BBQ'd for Father's Day!  I know the boys felt bad that we didn't buy Dad any presents or do anything else but I knw he really enjoyed his day.  We went to church together as a family, then came home and vegged for a while before going out to lunch.  After lunch we stopped at a gamer store which is going out of business and the "guys" all bought games.  Our eldest was dropped off at the movie theatre to watch Toy Story 3.  While he was gone we put the new dining room table together which pleased Chris immensely!  I agree with him, we made a good choice... I love the butcher block style and it really does look as if it matches the hutch.  Interesting considering they were made over 150 years apart.  My job this week is to get wood oil to coat and condition the surface!!  Come evening we had barbequed hamburgers, roasted corn, and watermelon!  It was so good....  Chris played one of the new video games with the boys and just really enjoyed his day...

I hope you all had a great weekend!  I am so thankful for the wonderful husband God has graced me with.  He is a kind man who loving cares for his family!  God has truly blessed me with not only my husband but my children, our families, and church family as well!    

Monday, June 14, 2010

A day of shopping...



We are making progress... This past Friday we on a fieldtrip to Ikea. It was an eventful day to say the least! Our day started at 0700 as our eldest had his 2nd to the last driving session with the drivng instructor then it was off to Ikea. Or so we thought... After everything was said and done we didn't make it onto the road until 0900 but our drive seemed to go by rather quickly. By the end of the day we had logged 5 hours in the car and 5 hours in the store.





  

The rooms aren't finished but here some of our purchases....  Now just imagine the shelves laying horizontally with a keyboard on top, and matching duvets on both beds (loft w/ the Malm bed at a right angle underneath.)

The hooks will be used for hanging art supplies and whatever "treasures" a 14year old might want to store up in his at his desk.  The other set are black wrought iron and will be hung up in the "loft" for those all important "nightime supplies" an 11 year old might need to banish the scaries and boredoms!  (Think pen flash light, cough drops, glow in the dark zany bandz, tissues, rocks....)

And last but not least the soon to be assembled and finished with tong oil new dining room table!  A more slender farmhouse profile to fit our space and our lifestyle!!
Since there is no more band practice for the next 4 weeks I am looking forward to the time spent working on the house and in the kitchen!  Ah homebaked goods again and homemade pasta!!!  I see this table seeing many years of service and the scars to prove it!




















Friday, June 04, 2010

Confession time....

Well, I guess it is time to come clean.  No I've done very little decorating recently... I just couldn't!  You see I've have some issues coming to grips with the fact that this is such a small house.  Honestly, I didn't think it would matter.  I mean I lived my entire life, prior to marriage, in itty bitty teeny tiny abodes.  We are talking anything from 2 bedroom military housing (700 square feet, apartment) to dorm rooms to the largest at 1000 square feet with a lovely yard.  Now I never thought anything of it until I was a junior in high school and we lived in a duplex, prior to that everyone else I knew was in the same boat (military families.) But now I discovered most of my friends lived in houses with basements, 2 bathrooms, family rooms, garages and big yards.  Did I also mention square footage of 2000 or more feet?  I honestly never gave it a second thought.  Even then I didn't think much because, well, I was an only child and it seemed big enough for our needs.  Well, enter marriage... We started in a lovely studio apartment that really wasn't a studio.  The only reason they called it a studio was there was only a doorway to the bedroom, no door!  But still it seemed huge!!  6 months later, we bought our FIRST house. Built in 1906 it had gorgeous hard wood floors, tall windows, incredible woodwork and space... It was a dream, well sorta but we loved it!  Through a series of moves we have moved into larger houses with more space, not just inside but outside as well.  The last place was 1850 square feet on 10 acres... 10 glorious acres to roam, build and play on!  Room to house critters and plants alike.  Enter our latest move... Now don't get me wrong I love Indiana... I'm just having problems coming to terms that we are limited on space and are on the opposite side of the school district.  Yep, everyone's friends live on the other side of town and it is sooo far to drive over here... Puuuleasssssssssssse!  Come on folks, we are talking 20 minutes in traffic!  Okay, now I've had my whine...   As I was saying it has taken some time but I am coming to terms.  Yep, we live in what could be defined as a cottage!  So my thoughts have been why not embrace it!  BUT... yes, there is that infernal word that I ALWAYS get after our boys for using... but I was feeling intimidated and pressured.  No NO ONE was putting any pressure on me but myself.  I felt I had to live up to everyone else's standards.  I know all our friends have HUGE houses but who says I have to!  I've always said quality is what counted not quantity!!  So now is the time to practice what I preach.  For years I've told my husband I wanted to live in a quaint little cottage.  We even looked a tiny little place when we lived in Ohio.  (granted it sat on 5 acres, had trees, and a pond but says I can't do the same thing but on a smaller scale!!)  We have gorgeous views, no trees but still a gorgeous view.  Who says we can't have a pond, even if we have to dig it out ourselves (oh how I wish we had our tractor here... it is at my in-laws 600 miles away but we do have farmer friends... hmm!)  Yep a pond to swim in and wade in... Flowers to smell and cut.  And most importantly a place where we can gather together as a family!  A home!

So things are going to take a little longer as I rethink my decorating... (battery has died once again the camera so I think either the charger or the battery is cooked!  It just won't hold a charge for long so no pictures until we can get it figured out!!)