Who You Are – JJ Heller

Here – Keri Jobe

Still, My Soul, Be Still – Keith and Kristyn Getty

Hymn- Brooke Fraser

I Am Living in the Land of Death – Citzens

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) – Matt Redman

Your Hands – JJ Heller

C. S. Lewis Song – Brooke Fraser

My Savior’s Love Endures – JJ Heller

Make:

Zucchini bread, slathered with cream cheese. Trying to use up last year’s frozen goodness to make room for this year’s garden bounty.

Listen:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is my new book club book and I’m listening to it on audiobook while packing, packing, packing. It’s an engaging story of racial tensions, bioethics, and local history based in Baltimore. It has me hooked.

Linking up today with Simple Things Notebook.

Six.

It’s the age of the beginning of true boyhood. When the chubbiness that still clung to toddlerhood, preschool, and kindergarten is finally shed. Six is long, lean, and sturdy-limbed. It is tall, gap-toothed, and and ever-hungry. It is inquisitive, creative, imaginative, and risk-taking.

It seems just yesterday my boys were born, thrusting me into motherhood. I didn’t know how I’d take care of two babies. I was still in denial that we were even having one baby when we got the news we were having two. Shocked. You know, it’s interesting that I have no memory of sharing the news with friends and family we were expecting a baby. I only remember sharing that we were expecting twins.

I was slow to embrace motherhood. My early days of non-stop nursing were plagued with sleep-deprived daydreams of my life before they came. Of when I used to have an hour to read on the bus, sit and work quietly at the computer while drinking coffee and listening to Pandora. I wasn’t really into sitting on the couch, staring at a blank wall while two babies fed. It seemed to never end.

But it did. Far too fast.

Because now they are six.

 Mother’s Day, 2013

:: 70 degree sunshine. Cool enough for jeans and a sweater but warm enough to open all the windows.

:: Reading outside on a quilt while the kids play in the afternoon. Just finished this. Hard stuff, that novel. I’d not put it in the “entertainment” category.

:: Iced coffee in Ball canning jars.

:: Waking up to bird song.

:: The smell of freshly cut grass.

:: The taste of al fresco dinners on the deck.

:: Blotches of color on the landscape: pink, white, yellow blossoms.

:: Dirty kid feet.

:: Sleeping soundly from fresh air and exercise.

What about you? What do you love about spring? 

We pass it on to a new family who will soon make it their own, bringing their newborn home to it in just a few months.

Pardon my sentimental mood today.

We bought our little home in 2005 and were so happy to have a little piece of land to make our own. I’m not sure what attracted us to it other than we could do the work ourselves and it was on a quiet street. We weren’t into townhouses and developments and couldn’t afford much anyway. It’s size has been a joy and an aggravation. I’ve loved the fact that I don’t horde because there is no room to do so. I throw things away or simplify. I love that it’s easy and quick to clean. I love to sit on the back deck and listen to the birds sing. To pick hydrangeas by the armful and decorate the house. I’ve loved that it’s been just what I needed and nothing more.

I’ve not loved the fact that I haven’t been able to entertain large groups, especially in the winter. That there’s no room to put up over-night guests except on the couch.

Over the winter we felt the time had come. It was time to sell.

Our house was on the market for 20 days. Then we received the offer that we accepted.

On Easter Sunday.

After our house went on the market, Josh felt like we should pray that we’d have a contract by the end of March. We had our eye on another house that had been on the market for a while and didn’t want it to slip away. To even contend for it, we needed a contract in our hands. (More on that in another post.)

We prayed. Easter approached and with it, the end of March. We prayed, but I resigned myself for a flop of a weekend. I was sure we’d have little to no showings. Who’d be looking at houses Easter weekend?

But we ended up having three showings that weekend.

While sitting in church we got the email: an offer was being made that very day.

Easter Sunday, March 31st. The last day of March.

God didn’t have to grant our request. It really wouldn’t have mattered if we’d gotten the offer on April 1st, you know? But God is really awesome like that sometimes. He just puts a gift in your lap you don’t even have to have and says: “I love to surprise you with good gifts.”

This house has been one of God’s good gifts to us. It’s insignificant and small by American Dream standards, but much more than so many in the world have. I can honestly say I’ve never forgotten that.

Good-bye little house.

—————————————————

Our house has been through many stages of transformation. I thought it would be fun to look back at all the sweat and labor we’ve put into it to finally make this house complete.

When we purchased the house, it looked like this:

Before and in-between pictures of the kitchen:

Kitchen expansion and renovation:

Dining Room:

Office space off of kitchen:

Living room was first painted a chocolate, but it felt too dark, so then we went with a cream, which we’ve loved:

Bedroom, and no, there can never be too many books:

Deck, shed rehab, and exterior:

 These pictures aren’t even completely up-to-date. The most updates images of our work are those our realtors commissioned.

But this just gives you a little taste of our little house’s journey from abandoned and ugly to lived in and loved.

Why yes, that is my son trying to go down a slide with a boogie board (below left).

Beginning work in earnest on a long-held dream.

To commemorate this adorable little guy’s first birthday, I was honored to do a session for my good friends, the Barowskis. Isn’t he a cutie?
Big sister Isabel joined in the fun as we hung out at Susquehanna State Park on a chilly, but sunny evening.
The session ended on a sweet note, complete with cupcake eating and icing licking!

Handsome little man and sweet little lady.

The red ball is a favorite toy. He couldn’t stop giggling when he would throw it!

Thanks for letting me capture your kids, Barowski family! So fun watching them grow!

“Hmmm, actually, I think those pants are a little tight,” said Josh, my husband.

We’d only been married about a year and this was the first time Josh had ever said anything negative about my clothes.

“Well, I’ve had these pants for years and wear them all the time. If they were tight, why have you never said anything before?” I shot back hotly.

“I don’t know,” Josh said. “Maybe I never noticed?”

“How could you not notice if they’re too tight on me?” I exclaimed. “And if you never noticed, maybe they’re actually not too tight!”

Josh looked confused. “Look, I don’t know about all of that, all I know is you asked me right now and I told you what I honestly thought. Why did you ask?”

“Because I thought I looked fine and was all ready to go and now I have to change!” I said angrily.

But even as I pulled a new pair of pants out of the closet I knew I was over reacting. I’d asked the question expecting a response of affirmation, not criticism. And I’d gotten an answer I didn’t expect.

To continue, join me at StartMarriageRight.com . . . 

We make a lot of granola in my house. It’s our staple cereal, to eat with milk, top yogurt, or even stir into muffins. Today I’m going to share my two favorite recipes. The first is my favorite, but sadly my kids do not enjoy it. I love Heidi Swanson’s recipe, only I add dried cranberries instead of currants. Check out her lovely orange infused recipe here.

The kids’ favorite recipe is this one:

Granola
From the More-with-Less cookbook.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large pan melt:
½ cup oil (I use coconut oil)
½ lb. butter
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
½ salt

When melted and mixed, add the following:
2 lbs. rolled oats
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup chopped nuts (I like almond or pecan)
2 cups grape nuts cereal
1 cup wheat germ (or Flaxseed)
1 lb. coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds.

Stir well to coat. Bake in a shallow pan for 20-25 minutes, stirring ever 10 minutes. Cook until lightly browned. Let cool in pans, stirring occasionally. The longer it cools the crunchier it will be. Store in airtight container (the sooner you put the granola into the container, the “less-crunchy” it will be. So play with how crunchy you like it.)

In the listening department I’ve been playing J J Heller’s new album, Loved, almost non-stop. Definitely check it out.

Joining Dawn today.

I had high hopes for some warmth on Easter, but although the temperature rose a bit, it was still very chilly.
Add to that, it was quite blustery–especially at my mom’s house–where it always seems windy.

Despite the cold, I got my sister to take our pictures and I like the way the one above turned out,
except that Owen looks sad, which he wasn’t at all.
I love how Duncan’s snuggling up to me in the one below.

As you can see from the “outtake” below Owen wasn’t sad at all, he was being a goof-ball.
I had to include it because it makes me laugh. He is such a clown!

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