Category Archives: picture
Less-wordy Wednesday: Winter
Many things have rested heavily on my heart and mind lately. Because of this, I’ve not blogged much for fear that these monstrous pontifications may overflow in the wrong venue. Let me just say this: there is much to pray about. Relationships fall apart, health declines, strife seems to reign in the exact worse places … We are all flawed, yet God is greater and He alone can conquer all of these. He alone can guide in the way of righteousness. For this He must be praised!
Instead of skating close to volatile territories, I’m sticking to a relatively safe topic today: winter. And photos that speak for themselves.
We haven’t seen our grass since Christmas. Here are a few (million) tiny, icy reasons why.
Zach takes his shoveling very seriously. This thrills both me and his father! If you look behind him to the left, you can see part of the igloo we carved. It’s pretty cool (no pun intended)! Both kids can sit inside our little ice cave. 
Busy, busy … (and some failed Christmas photos)
Tomorrow I leave for the Women of Faith Conference. (WOO-HOO!!) It’s my first time going to one of these, so I’m super-excited. I’ll be seeing the Chapmans, Anita Renfroe, Patsy Clairmont, Lisa Whelchel and a ton more people that are sure to inspire and challenge me over the weekend.
Today, however, I face different challenges. Like, parent-teacher conferences, packing for myself and preparing the house for the next couple days without me. (That last item alone is enough to overwhelm.) At some point I also need to get to the post office (to mail my mother’s birthday gift a week past due — I am a terrible daughter!), Target (I packed away my sandals to discover all my socks have holes in them), and the nail salon (I promised the girl we would go this week).
I’ll just leave you with some failed attempts to get a Christmas card photo.
The boy was quite upset I made him take off his bike helmet. Then he started complaining that it was too cold, so we took a break to get hats and gloves. (Notice he chose one winter glove and one garden glove.) We also moved to a different location to distract the girl’s crazies. This is what we got there.
I think I’ll add “another photo shoot” to my list of things to do this afternoon.
My Kitchen: Before and After
If you’ve followed this blog for long, you know that my kitchen is central to our family. I adore cooking. (Actually I just really, really love food!) My kids get in on the action, too. The kitchen is just … well, it’s super important! While we hunted for a new house, several of you sent me sweet notes of encouragement about my new kitchen. I have to say it’s absolutely the best. God totally spoiled me this time (as He usually does!) Today I want to share it with you.
We haven’t made any major changes, just cosmetic upgrades, but everyone enjoys a before and after comparison. This is what it looked like when we bought the place:
As a side note, the entire house was baby blue when we bought it. Well, most of the house. As in the entire second floor, the carpet in the basement and one-third of the first floor. All blue. This color of baby blue. Now, it’s a fine color, but it was a bit overwhelming and a touch too country for us.
And this is what the kitchen looks like now:
If you look out the doors, you’ll see another one of our “lonely places on the little deck.”
So, we swapped out the baby blue for grey, the white barstools for black ones and the wing chairs for a loveseat.
My favorite parts include my candle sconces that hang over the loveseat …
my vinyl accents …
This one is above the door separating the kitchen from the dining room.
This “bistro sign” (hanging off the side of the bay window) has a chalkboard center. The kids take turns writing our memory verses there.
If you’re interested in getting something like this, you should absolutely contact my friend, Kim. She has a whole catalog of great designs in all kinds of sizes, styles and colors. I love them!
… and my chalkboard wall.
This is some air duct or something nestled between the refrigerator and the cabinets. It can’t easily be moved and can’t have nails put in it, so chalkboard paint seems the perfect solution. It has become my favorite part of the room!!
Again, we didn’t make any drastic changes, but it was enough to make it home to us. So, tell me — what’s your favorite part of your kitchen?
A new milestone
Ellie lost her first tooth last week somewhere in the middle of Ohio. (We caught it in a medicine cup to save for the Tooth Fairy.) She lost her second tooth the very next afternoon. We’ve entered a whole new stage of parenting.
Lots and lots of snow.
The kids haven’t had school in a week. Thus the vast silence around the blog.
Honestly, I have no idea how people blog when their kids are home all the time. I blogged when the kids were young and still took naps, but now … well, I don’t know how you all do it! It’s crazy here. If they’re home, I’m not on the computer for more than checking email.
This morning greeted us with yet another two inches (and still snowing) and another school delay, so while the kids watch Handy Manny, I’m going to post some winter pics.
Since Whimzie posted her lamppost picture, I figured I should include mine. For the record, I think her picture is better, even with the car in the corner. I took this picture before we started shoveling, so it’s tough to tell how deep it is. Consider this: I am 5’7″ and normally I must reach up to touch those tree branches. I have to jump to grab hold of them.
This is my van after we started unearthing? un-snowing? Digging it out.
The boys worked really hard, while Ellie made sure she got in lots of pictures …
… and started lots of snowball fights.
All right, I must go. I’ve got more shoveling to do this morning. Happy Tuesday, all!
I think it’s Wordless Wednesday
Does a post still qualify for “Wordless Wednesday” if it’s posted on Thursday? The blog was silent yesterday (thus the Wordless part fulfilled) and the photos were taken on Wednesday (that part fulfilled), so, yeah, I think we’re good!
Besides, after laughing at CPQ for thinking it was November 3rd, I reported to recess duty at the wrong playground because I thought it was Monday. Since I have no clue what day it really is, I think I’ll just stop talking and share some pics of my honeys.
Mama loves this! Oh, wait — it’s not Tuesday either! Oh, well.
Little House on the Prairie: The Musical
Guess what we did yesterday … I took Ellie to her first ever musical!! We had a great “Girls’ Day” with a couple friends.
Ellie wore another dress that my mother-in-law made. Remember when Caroline (on the TV show) bought nice fabric to make herself a dress, but then made dresses for Mary and Laura instead? Ellie’s dress reminded me of those.
The girls (both five years old) enjoyed the show, but not as much as their mamas.
Tracy and I went a little ga-ga. We were both weeping before the end of the show, and then when Melissa Gilbert took her curtain call (she played “Ma”) we got all emotional again! There’s just something about these stories and … *sigh* … It was cool.
By the way, if the show comes to your area (I have no idea where or for how long they’ll do it), take note that it follows the books and not the TV show or any of the resulting movies. (I was glad about that!) Kara Lindsay played “Laura” and Steve Blanchard played “Pa.” They were both fantastic! The whole cast was great, but they were my favorite players. My only complaint: they didn’t have soundtracks available. The musical offered several great, original songs, but they didn’t have any CDs to purchase.
They did have tee-shirts, but I couldn’t justify paying $25 for a “Little House” shirt I knew I would probably never wear in public. I was seconds away from buying a “Half Pint” tee-shirt for Ellie, but she wasn’t interested. Instead we got her a stuffed horse and named it “Barnum.”
It was a good day. Oh, and I have to say, my girl was PERFECT!! She sat quietly through the whole show and clapped in all the right places. She loved it. I was so proud of her!
Wordless Wednesday: How the Kids Help Pack for Vacation
If you missed that, Zach is literally pulling around Ellie on a “horse.” This was AFTER they dumped the clean, freshly-folded clothes onto the couch and floor to make room for them inside the “packages.” If they weren’t so darn cute …
See more Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.
The Prepared Bride Revisited
This weekend we attended a wedding. It was gorgeous, joyful and fun. We had a wonderful time!
Two years ago, Ellie was honored to be the flowergirl in another wedding. The bride then is the sister of the bride now. I wrote one of my favorite posts then. Here’s a link: The Prepared Bride. It’s dated closer to Christmas than to the wedding, but … well, you’ll see when you read it.
And what is a post about weddings without a few pictures? Visit this post for pictures of us two years ago. And here we are now.
Zach was in a boy mood, refusing to smile. I had to tickle him, thus my slumped posture and his goofy look while trying to elbow me in the stomach. Still, I think we make a pretty good-looking crew.
A special note to my facebook friends: See? Sexy, conservative … I didn’t have to buy any special undergarments to keep me in or up or looking right. I could even bend over and tend to the kids without wardrobe malfunctions! Cool – right? And it was on sale! I think I hit the jackpot this time.
