Current Kitchen Status

New counters... woo-hoo!

No sink {yet}... boo-hoo.

{Sink will reside in place of red car.}

New stove... woo-hoo!

No subway tile backsplash {yet}... boo-hoo.

New microwave... woo-hoo!

No cabinet doors hung {yet}... boo-hoo.

Painted cabinets... woo-hoo!

No wall color {yet}... boo-hoo.
Slowly, slowly...

Homemade Potato Chips

Because the boys and I had the munchies.

God of Grace

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth... From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:14, 16

Chloe's Burpie and Bib

For tomorrow's baby shower.

Treats

A brown paper package tied up with string is one of my favorite things...

Along with a handmade zippy pouch and dear, dear Jane.

Thank you, Anna, for making me smile.

Color and Form

I'm trying to be more intentional in how I spend time with Tukes while big brother is at school. A few days ago we played with classic Colorforms. Working together the two of us "built" a locomotive, then I challenged him to work on a creation of his own. He proudly produced a sporty red race car but was quick to inform me "that it isn't Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because that is too compwicated."

Nostalgia

I helped him pack a snack in the old Cracker Jack lunchbox...

just as my mother helped me.

I feel nostalgia every time the boys pull out the lunchbox...

and so I'm entering this photo in this week's contest at I Heart Faces.

More Nostalgia

Generations

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.

Psalm 33:11

God of My Salvation

My soul finds rest in God alone;
My salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

Accepting

...For in acceptance lieth peace.

Amy Carmichael

Simple Morning

Tukes is a little lost without his sidekick now that big brother has returned to school. This morning after drop-off I asked him, "Do you want to make some muffins?"

"Yeah! Banana? I can make dem and you can bake dem and we can both be da cheft," he replied.

This morning...

We baked muffins when the house needed to be straightened.

We went for a bicycle ride when overdue library books should've been returned.

We built a fort with fabric I intend to use for sewing... someday.

We sniffed a scentless, whithered orchid blossom {see above} that "smells wike cinnamon."

A simple, fun morning was nice. We feel better because of it.

Current Kitchen Status

The living room, with furniture crammed together, continues to be a staging area for kitchen renovations. But, {this is your cue... everyone squeal with me} the new counters have arrived! Now, if we can manage to have a functioning kitchen sink by the end of the week I'll be a very happy girl.

A Blessing

Summer vacation has melted away.

This evening we were busy setting out school clothes and stuffing food into lunchboxes.

Tomorrow morning will be an early one. First grade begins.

My little schoolboy said, "Mommy, I'm excited about first grade, but I'm afraid I'll get frustrated."

The professor quoted Churchill to him, "Never, ever, ever, ever give up."

He was whispering those words to himself as I tucked him under the covers.

"Sing 'the Lord bless you and keep you' song," he said.

And so, I did...

The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And give you peace,

And give you peace,

And give you peace forever.

God, My Strength

My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26

Helpful Houseguest

Our little visitor enjoys watering my flowers, tonight he joined the Clean Plate Club, and boy can he dance. What a guy!

Reflected Wall Art

Lately I've found myself pointing the camera to wall art... paintings in our own home and others that I spy along the way. This abstract painting reflected by two ornately framed mirrors casually propped against a wall is, without a doubt, one of my most favorite shots. Demure, formal elegance meets vibrant, casual simplicity... and the Queen Anne chair, well somehow she ties it all together.

Vacation Memories

Sweet memories of an unforgettable day in Venice hang in our foyer.

We're just home from the Florida.
Happy memories of days on the beach hang in my mind.

But, oh, it is nice to be home.

Open Mic

Warmly Welcome

Grandaddy and Khaki are as warm and welcoming as their sunny foyer. How fortunate for us that they live around the corner and always have an open door for drop-in visitors!

God of Restoration

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
Psalm 23:2-3

Beauty in the Disarray

Our house looks like a renovation explosion... and it's looked that way for over a month. The lady of the house {ahem, that would be me} is weary and prone to a bit more crankiness than usual.

With yesterday's realization fresh on my mind, the new counters may not be ready for installation for three more weeks, I wearily dropped into a chair this afternoon. As I sat among saw horses and paint cans, drop cloths and ladders, it was a blessing to find some beauty among the disarray.

Life is like that, isn't it? Things can get messy, really messy, making it hard to see the bits of beauty, but they're there... tender mercies from the Father, reminders of His presence. He can give us eyes and hearts to see His blessed fingerprints, even in the messiest of messes.

At The Farm

While in Mississippi we spent the day at the farm.The farmhouse, ever graceful, holds only echoes of a previous time.

Uncle D treated Boo to ride on the combine... and the tractor... and the four wheeler.Boo couldn't stop grinning, he loves wheels and engines and speed.


Tukes, our animal loving little man, preferred the goats. They are much quieter.

Mississippi Treasure

It was an odd and rather sad set of circumstances, along with the generosity of my brother-in-law, that led us to half rescue, half inherit this delightful set of vintage alphabet prints. Painted by the twentieth century Mississippi artist Walter Inglis Anderson, the whimsy of these three watercolors absolutely makes me smile.

The saturated colors combined with simplistic shapes keenly reminds me of the work of one of my very favorite deep south artists, that of letterpress artist and graphic designer Amos Kennedy. {And, yes, I'm still planning to hang the red rooster... I haven't forgotten about him!}

These whimsical prints have found a happy resting place in Tukes' room. I do believe that he is as delighted with them as I am!

Home Again, Home Again...

a single pear in the farmhouse breakfast room

We've been in Mississippi visiting family... and eating.

There was a trip to the farm, some treasure hunting, and...

Fried green tomatoes, catfish, gumbo, strawberry pie, pound cake, and ice cream.

My heart and my belly are full, and, yes, I am exhausted.

More to come after I recover...

Unchanging God

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

Today He Is Seven

Seven years of knowing him.

Seven years of delighting in him.

Seven years of laughing with him.

Seven years of nurturing him.

Seven years of praying for him.

Seven years of loving him.

Seven years of being loved by him.

Seven years ago he made me a mother.

I am a mother blessed beyond measure.