a present a week {till Christmas}

Yep you read that correctly.  My plan is to make a present a week until Christmas as I am joining Deb over at Works in Progress in her make a present a week {till Christmas} challenge.    I don't have any new pictures to post today because I keep using some of the Christmas presents I've made.  Yes, I've been dipping into my collection of crocheted wash clothes (dishclothes) as mine was truly unserviceable!! 

(Picture from part of the collection crocheted over the past year..)

In fact they were beginning to disintergrate... ugh!!  But they lasted far longer than the thin, store bought, too large kind!!!  So it is now time to pull out the thread and start working on them during football games (American style) and allergy appointments.  And I think the vanilla is potent enough so it will soon be time to start decanting it... hmm what happened to all the small bottles we saved? 

Hope you have a great week! 

Wait, where did it go???

Okay, I know it was here somewhere... Our back to school post.. I mean what happened to it?  Okay now that we officially know I am less than computer literate, we will re-post (well make that more like rewrite the missing portions that disappeared into cyberspace!)

Can you believe it the school year is upon us again?  I mean I know the boys are excited and it will be an all new adventure.  What with this being their first FULL year in this school district.  There are a few changes... Our eldest now has his driver's license so he will be driving to school, our middle is now in high school (how did that happen I ask you?) and will be riding to school with his brother.  Did I mention football practice immediately after school plus Saturday mornings?  Or marching band practice in the evenings twice a week? and the youngest?  Well he is at the same school, sleeping in late, but looking forward to his new teacher!  And do you know what I did this year?  I have pictures of everyone before they headed off to school... At the end of the year we will have to get a group photo!

Can you tell he is excited about his first day back to school?  (methinks he really isn't a morning person!)

What?  Where is Mr. Sunshine's smile?

(Can you tell they really want to get out the door?  They were so anxious to get to get to school and not be tardy.  You would think I was pulling teeth..)

Can you tell nerves were abounding this morning?

*****

As you can tell everyone really wanted to get out the door... and no the older two were not late for school.  In fact they now leave a good 15 minutes later than they did on that 1st day! :)

And do you know what??? My dear sweet husband took Wednesday thru Friday off of that 1st week of school!!  Wednesday we went down to Indianapolis for our 20th anniversary.. A day spent shopping, hitting used book stores, time for a quick swim, dinner out, and then a movie!  I am truly blessed by this wonderful man God has given me!  He is thoughtful, kind, considerate, and I love his quirky sense of humor (which our "children" just don't seem to get and if they do it is usually accompanied by large sighs!!)

Ta Daaa.... The living room!

Yes you read that correctly... the living room in all its glory.  It will never grace the pages of a decor magazine but it is home.  This is where we live and play (when not outside at the pool or playing games at the dining room table!) 

Right now the only change I would make is simply to figure out a way to hide the cord to the TV and remember to install the cleat for the left hand shades. 

Our living room is a cozy place filled with memories, trinkets lovingly purchased from faraway locales, and bits of whimsy.  You can see we have a love of  warm colors, books, and all things old. 

Yes that is a functioning typewriter... well kinda. haha It needs a little TLC as some of  its keys have begun to stick and it needs a new ribbon.  Not bad for a 60 year old typewriter, huh?!  Please don't mind the blue painter tape around our bedroom door.  It will be removed once I finally paint the wall around our door (maybe orange like our bathroom, ha ha!)

This is what you see from the front door.  That used to be a card catalogue from an old high school library! 

 

Now it holds craft supplies and card games.

And last but not least I wanted you to see what or rather who normally graces our living room.  Our sweet puppy... at 24 months she still has another year before she will reach maturity!!  Lily aka "Lily Lou" or "Miss Lou"

(Now I am sure my husband would love it if our room was done!  It is the next project at hand, well that and putting up veggies!!)

The Day Has Come....

we finally closed on the sale of our house in Alaska!  Yes, this is a bittersweet moment because it marks the end of of era...  I will always hold Alaska dear to my heart for the friends and memories we made there.  God truly blessed us.  It is also bittersweet because of the changes that have occurred in the past year.  Rites of passage you might say.  We had to give away our sweet kitty boo (Willow) due to allergies, Caleb was killed this spring, and Ian is getting closer adulthood having gotten his driver's license.  Dreams have changed for the boys and well it is a time of adjustment for me!  My little boys are growing up and starting to grow away!!!  A time I am not sure I am ready to approach but it is no longer creeping up on me but confronting me face on so... With chin raised I will face it full on, okay maybe not always face on but with the Lord's support it will be faced!!  Now don't get me wrong I am excited about the changes but I loved that house and would just as soon have moved it, the property and all our friends here but we know that can't happen.  It has been a long haul but God has been faithful throughout the whole process!!!  So good-bye Alaska

hello New York! 

No we are not moving again... but have been working hard and.... (drum roll, puhhhhhhhhhllllllllllllease!!!) in a few short months (barring any unexpected incidents) we will have the New York property paid off!!  Woo hoo!!!

And so you aren't scared out of your mind... This is an after shot once the house was re-sided and new windows were put in. (Please ignore the odd angel as it is the only shot I can find at the time... )

( The window seen in the 1st picture was covered over on the inside with this delicious paneling so we covered it over on the outside until we can get around to removing the paneling!!)

Just so you know the charger for my camera battery has gone missing so I am currently unable to recharge my now DEAD battery.  Oddly enough it didn't get used hardly at all until this past weekend which incidentally is when I discovered it was dying, ha ha!!  But once it is up and running again have I got pictures for you!!

Hope you have a great day!!

Be patient, grasshopper!

Okay so its not a grasshopper but rather a praying mantis!!  From our own front yard... I thought a green twig was in the small japanes maple but as I reached for it... well it MOVED!  Yes, I admit it, I started a bit, not much but a bit. :)  So we got the camera out and took pictures.  And I mean a lot of pictures!  Do you know how quickly a praying mantis can eat a fly? 

  Umm, yeah we did get pictures of that as well.  It was incredible to watch!  I mean I'm not really into bugs but seeing God's handiwork was so incredibly awesome!!  I think we spent close to an hour just watching...

Well, much has been done in the past month but absolutely NO pictures have been taken.  In fact I couldn't even find the camera for at least two weeks!!!  How it got put away in the garage is beyond me... actually I seem to recall taking it out there to take pictures of a project and then being called away.  I'm surprised it didn't end up in the freezer as preoccupied as I was for a while there.  I mean, has anyone else found the missing lettuce or cucumber in the freezer before?  I know its not just me... or is it?  I know my mother has never misplaced anything.  I mean, aside from the house... (when I was growing up she had a terrible sense of direction, thank goodness that isn't the case any longer!!!!)

Okay, here is a list of all that has been accomplished...

• garage cleared
• "garage" sale
• room painted
• vases glued
• washclothes crocheted
• mother's birthday present mailed on time!!! (something that hasn't occured in years!!)
• new tires on new "to us" pick-up truck
• closet cleaned/sorted/downsized
• books sorted
• supplies for new shed purchased
• herbs planted
• lawn mower fixed
• clothes sorted/sized

Working on or still need to be dones:

• list books on e-bay
• take garage sale "leftovers" to rescue mission store
• living room (almost done!!)
• paint kitchen-cabinets (once it cools off and we can leave the windows open without me sneezing my head off)
• preserve produce
• reorganized kitchen cabinets
• buy school clothes
• kill weeds in driveway
• start making homemade bread again
• make/start preparing beds for next years garden
• start on Christmas presents
• make jams/jellies/syrups from fruits in freezer
• CLOSE ON SALE OF HOUSE IN ALASKA!!! (hopefully by the end of this week!!!)

Well I am off to load the vehicle with the stuff leftover from the garage sale.  By this evening we will be able to park both cars in there. Woo hoo!!! And our house will have decidedly less stuff, yeah!!!  Especially after we sell all the curriculum, books, and clothing on eBay... Ah it sure feels good to downsize!  And eliminate even more debt... What an answer to prayer!!! :)

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

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!!!