I'm So Glad She Could Go

Grandma Opens Her Present, originally uploaded by LydiaJo.

but I miss her all ready.

The Good and the Sad

So happy  when I realized I could request books from my library from the convenience of my home.  Seriously, a stop at the library is just not that great with small children... also I always forget what books I was interested in when I get to the library, maybe that is due to those toddlers, but if I can request them at the very time I'm thinking about them, maybe I can get more books checked off of my reading list.

Stuart is sucking his thumb and this has him sleeping longer.  So happy am I! It kind of happened overnight.  I was telling Nate one day how I think he should be able to sleep longer.  That very night he slept nine hours but I woke up at 4:30AM wondering why he wasn't up yet.  I lay there for almost an hour till he woke up.  Yeah I struggle when it comes to sleeping. 

Ellie is potty trained. 

I recovered my piano bench today.
I smashed my finger with the hammer.  Still hurts.

My dear Grandma Hoover was taken to the hospital today. 

Nate is really slow at work. 

The girls and Nate were all sick this week and I'm hoping I don't get it.

You tell me.  Good or Sad? Trying to show my house some more love yesterday and I felt so rusty. This is the dining room... and that is a map of Grenada that I found while cleaning.  I am tempted to paint the whole wall with chalkboard paint. If not I think I'd like to get more of a collage going on that wall.  Using the old blue frame.  Who knows. It's a work in progress. 

I wish I had pictures to show you of my bedroom from 1998.  You'd be amazed.

Old screen door.  Empty blue frame. 

I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those effects down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives.


~Peter Kreeft



What a beautiful quote... I've had more than one prayer answered lately that I had almost given up on... and yet, I still tend to give up on things.  Figure it's too hard, the situation won't come around.  Shame on me.

So many projects in my head and nothing happening.  Clothing ideas for the children. Things to recover, new curtains to find, kitchen makeover.  I don't know what happened but my house needs my love.

MADE just makes me want to sew.

This lady makes me want to paint my kitchen floors white.  So pretty. 

This post makes me want to design my own clothing.  Do the raw edges make you gasp? 

In a good way.

Ellie is sick.  Or she was sick.  Let's hope it's finished.

Guess who started sucking his thumb?  It isn't Nate.

Although Nate might want to suck his thumb about now.  He's been spending some time cutting slate for my Dad.  It is the dreaded family job.  According to the men in the family.

Nate and I drove Carla to the airport on Friday.  She has had a terrible ordeal with her tickets to Grenada.  Air Jamaica is cancelling it's service to Grenada.  Thus began the drama.  Anyhow, not long after we left for New York, we were so not moving.  Traffic was totally stopped. It was nerve wracking to say the least.  It all worked out and she made it.   

Scrapple and Eggs for Lunch Today

Nate was loading stuff in the pick up so I started goofing off with the camera. Mia was directly behind me... so no picture of her.  She was in love with her Highlights puzzle page she got in the mail.  I was happy for her.  Loved highlights as a kid.

Sunday afternoon, a nap and some editing time. 

Week Project

I'm trying to take a picture of Stuart every week of his first year.  It's harder than you might think.  Some photographers do like a 365 project where they take one interesting photo each day of the year and then put them together in a book.  I love that idea, but am too busy these days to even attempt it. So one day a week, I snap a whole pile of photos of Stuart and a few of his sisters and hope to get a good one.  But I can never narrow it down to only one and end up keeping ten or more.  So here are the ones for last week (taken this morning... ahem).

This old quilt was a shower gift to Nate and I from my parents.  I think my Mom picked it up at a sale somwhere.  The edges are tattered and worn.  I love it.

Beautiful February Snow

So happy to have a snowy Saturday with no plans.  So happy to have a reason to get outside and take pictures.  Happy to have the time to play with the girls in the snow.  Sad that it is so hard to keep a hat and gloves on Lizzy. 

She kept asking us to shovel paths for her so she could walk.  Then she would stand right behind our elbows while we shoveled.  Mia slid down the snowpiles and had a total blast. 

I Made Soup For Lunch Today

I just made some soup that looks just like this.  Only thing is, mine has potatoes in it.  That's because I started with gourmet potatoes that were left over from my Sunday Lunch. I read this post, and then while I was making the girls their grilled cheese for lunch, I got to throwing things together and yeah... it's good.  It is that good, that even though I am not one bit presentable for society right now I really wish someone would stop in so I could let them taste it.  Assuming that person liked mushrooms.

In other news... we've found affordable air fare to Grenada for Nate's sister Jana's wedding.  What an answer to prayer! I must admit I was of little faith in this matter.  I just knew it was not a good time to find discounted tickets.  In watching the prices for July I saw that they were going up... I still feel like purchasing tickets is similar to gambling. Hate the stress.  So we are flying again with all the children! Let's hope it goes better than last time.  Mia is so excited, she is watching the days on a little calendar of hers.  So cute.  She still mentions things about Grenada, it surprises me that she remembers.  So excited to see Former neighbors and church family...

Here is the lovely "Bride to Be"