our happy rooms.

So, I chose something so like me, and so unlike me, all at the same
time. In our last home, we chose what we liked for colors, but also
with the lurking thought of resale in the back of our heads. This
time around, it's what we want and how we want our home to function.

We have three rooms upstairs - a big big bedroom, a medium bedroom,
and a bathroom. The large bedroom is going to be a guest room slash
project room slash music room. I want it to be fun and creative. I
want it to be green. Lydia's, I want to be sweet like sorbet. So
here's what we're doing.

The hallway leading downstairs will be a neutral that transitions the
colors into the more muted naturals of our main living areas.

What do you think?

thanks for our new house.

Here's a page from another great book from my Mom. It's called Thanks
for Thanksgiving, and this page and the feel of the illustrations
reminds me of the feel of our new house we're working on. In fact,
there's actually a window to the left of the fireplace exactly like
the "cuddling" page. And a staircase just like this one.

Today we spent the morning at Lowes, finalizing our kitchen pieces.
We're doing a combination of custom built-ins thanks to Sam, and pre-
constructed cabinets from Lowes. They have bead board fronts, and
look very charming. We're doing white cabinets with wood butcher
block counters. And lots and lots of open shelving. Lots. It's going
to be great. I'm so thankful. After a few months of living in a
kitchen with about 36 inches of counter space and no dishwasher,
we're going to feel like kings to even just have a dishwasher, let
alone four bedrooms and a new kitchen. Wowsers.

Real pictures of the house to come soon. I promise it's not just in
my imagination.
Actually, here's two to tickle your brains.

decorating for Easter.

I'm helping get the church decked out for Easter, and I turned to Nettleton Hollow to get some fresh ideas. I ended up with some twisted willow, myrtle, and craspedia. My inspiration is the photo here that shows the myrtle mixed in with the willow. The yellow is to give a little pop. I'm tired of silk flowers and fake things, so here's some of the real deal to make spring come alive in our church - and since I believe that everything is somehow connected - in our lives and hearts as well. Beauty affects so much.

I was reminded of that while reading the book that I posted about last. Beauty can speak volumes as it touches a tender chord in our hearts. Especially as women. We are put together in such a way to want to be beautiful and create beauty out of our lives and the things that we touch. Whatever your style of beautiful - modern or folksy, whatever it be, each of us has something that moves us and makes us feel like we've created loveliness. And hopefully that's what we're going to create here in the church this Easter when we're celebrating the resurrection of our Jesus. He deserves lovely. And a whole lot more.

The dude behind Nettleton is very nice to work with. I'll update this post after I get the actual product, but Justin was super helpful, responded immediately to my email (which lamented the fact that they were out of myrtle, asking if they had any sad seconds in stock), and immediately replied that he did think they had a sad leftover that they would pop in the order as a freebie. Sure, I might need to hot glue a few pieces on here and there, but I'm confident that it will work, one way or the other, even if it's just the willow and the craspedia. Their blog is fabulous with so many decorating ideas for weddings and events! You can visit it through their website.

How are you decorating for spring?

sorry my images didn't post first time around! Here they are!

a day.

My Samuel is out of town this weekend, up in Chicago helping our
friends the Bozzay's put their house back together after some
construction projects uncovered more problems that extended their
projects unexpectedly. These things happen. And I'm stoked that he
can be around another good man pal who helps build him up. But today
was just a bit of a day. Millie was up for an hour in the middle of
the night last night teething, Lydia woke up whiny and proceeded to
make it her theme for the day; I don't have a car so was feeling a
bit fenced in; and Millie also continued to be fussy throughout the
day. A big box came in the mail from my mom today, since they
cancelled their trip to visit (which also made me sulk today). It
contained the girls' birthday gifts (oh my, mugs and bowls with their
pictures on them! They were thrilled.), and two fabulous books for
them. I read the one and just sat and cried. There was wrapping all
over the livingroom, Millie was tearing it to bits, Lydia was trying
to comfort me, and I was literally sitting in the middle of it,
crying, realizing that these are the moments that life is made up of,
and I don't want to wish any of them away, even the rough ones. The
book is titled "someday", and I'll completely spoil it for you by
putting all of it right here. The illustrations are charming, and
completely "make" the book. If you are the mother of a girl, you must
get this book.

One day, I counted your fingers and kissed each one.
One day, the first snowflakes fell, and I help you up and watched
them melt on your baby skin.
One day, we crossed the street, and you help my hand tight.
Then, you were my baby, and now you are my child.

Sometimes, when you sleep, I watch you dream, and I dream too...
That someday you will dive into the cool, clear water of a lake.
Someday you will walk into a deep wood.
Someday your eyes will be filled with a joy so deep that they shine.
Someday you will run so fast and so far your heart will feel like fire.
Someday you will swing high - so high, higher than you ever dared to
swing.
Someday you will hear something so sad that you will fold up with
sorrow. (amazing illustration of a teenager with her legs pulled up
to her in an armchair, with a letter on the floor)
Someday you will call a song to the wind, and the wind will carry
your song away.
Someday I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me
until I no longer see you.
Someday you will look at this house and wonder how something that
feels so large can look so small.

Someday you will feel a weight against your strong back. (shows a
young mother giving a piggyback ride)
Someday I will watch you brushing your child's hair.
Someday, a long time from now, your own hair will glow silver in the
sun. (lovely illustration of the back view of an older woman sitting
in an adirondack chair on a porch, watching the sunset)
And when that day comes, love, you will remember me. (And it shows a
framed photo sitting on an end-table - the photo that was the
illustration from the first page where the mom was counting her
fingers).

Completely full circle. It made today seem very tiny in the big
picture of things.

And made me in a strange way, much more cognizant of the future of
the memories we are creating. I'm getting ready to order some large
prints of photos, and now I'm thinking - what would my children want
to look at someday when they're grown and want to post cherished
photos on their walls? Will they want just a cute photo of them? Or
would they want a photo of them flashing a big smile to sam or I, us
in the picture, smiling back at them. It just made me think.

sewing for ruthie.

Lydia's birthday is coming up on Friday, and part of her gift is the "naked no more" gift of love for her babydoll, Ruthie. Naked babydolls really bug me. I'm not sure why - they just look so sad and undone. Ruthie's current outfits are oh-so-fun for Lydia to take off, and oh-so-difficult for her to get back on. So most of the times, Ruthie is a sad babydoll with no clothes. I got out the tupperware of fabric last night and burrowed through until I found something just right. Then I went back to my days as a twelve year old, sewing for my American Doll, Kirsten, and I made a pattern for little Ruthie. I vaguely remembered how to do the bodice, and then the rest came along pretty easily. Here's the result. All you sewing geniuses, do you have any ideas for making the bodice a little neater on the inside? I did a full-lined front, and two fully-lined back pieces, but left the sides open since I'd be sewing the front to the back, and so those seams are really messy on the inside, since I don't have a serger. Any ideas? I'm thinking I should have closed up the sides when I sewed the rest of it, then when I reversed it, just hand slip-stitched the front and back of the bodice together.

I can't wait to see her face when she opens it!

update - well, I wrote this about two weeks ago, and then didn't download the photos from the camera until yesterday. She loved the dress!

birthday number one.

I can't believe Millie is one tomorrow.
What a year it's been for all of us, her included.

Here's a quick picture of her birthday party - she ate almost her
whole cupcake - double-fisted, going at it with a big grin the whole
time. What a different experience from Lydia, who gingerly poked at
it like it would bite her!

getting to know our community.

We've delved full-force into community events and our mission for coming to Kentucky! Many paths are converging all at once, started by a friend sending me a grant application that we can create a qualifying program for. Tonight we went to the drug awareness council meeting, a monthly meeting to discuss activities that will prevent and stop drug use in our county. UNITE is a program that contributes financially toward many of our council's activities, and we briefly met the community coordinator, who encouraged us to develop activities and then present them to UNITE for approval and funding. The contingency is that we provide some type of drug prevention into it - which can be as simple as having a trained anti-drug counselor conduct a presentation for a few minutes at the start of a community game night.

We have lots of ideas, and now, timelines for implementation. Time to name our organization, apply for a few grants, and work with our city drug council to partner in projects that can help our youth here in Leslie county build a strong foundation in Christ on which they can base their big life decisions.

Lydia's 3 year pictures - a peek.

This morning when the temperature jumped over ten degrees in an hour,
I decided it was a good day to get outside and take some pictures for
the girls' yearly shoots. Here's a sneak peek of Lydia's group of
pictures. I was so sold on having her wear this jacket, and I'm glad
I did as I really like the contrast it creates with her blond hair
against it. But, I had to cut about 3 inches off the end of the arms
to make it work. It's the most adorable denim jacket ever, but It's
never fit her correctly - she couldn't even get her hands through the
ends of the sleeves this morning - they cinch really tightly at the
ends. But seeing as it was a hand me down and we wouldn't get any
wear out of it anyhow, out came the scissors. I think it was worth it.

I can't believe our baby is three. What great joy she's brought to us!

an inspiring read.

This article here kind of describes the work/life partnership that Sam and I are attempting to achieve. Ironically, Gabrielle is a designer, so there are some definite parallels. I am inspired daily by her blog, which discusses the intersection of design and motherhood - everything from fabulous birthday party ideas to new design trends. 

Zumba-ing.

It's time for me to venture out of my comfort zone here. I've been
tucked in a warm house all winter, and not been as active as I'd have
liked. So tonight, I'm going to zumba class in Hazard. Hopefully I'll
have a buddy in the future, but tonight I'm on my own - a little bit
daunting in a new town, but I'll be fine. Zumba looks fun and catchy
- like I might actually stick with it. ;) It's a latin dance/fitness
class that's supposed to be fun as well as calorie-burning.

Our traditions.

Have you seen the old tasha tudor book "A time to keep"?
I love this book.

I remember seeing old Tasha Tudor books in the past-as my mom is a
big fan and we had several growing up-but I read this book to Lydia
this weekend at the retreat, and fell in love with Tasha Tudor all
over again. Beautiful illustrations and simple stories of times past.

This book especially, as it focuses on a holiday for each month of
the year. And I'm a sucker for holidays!

I bought an old copy on Amazon for $10, and I plan on getting a
matted frame that will fit the pages, and rotate a page each month,
depending on what holiday is it. To remind me to celebrate even those
"minor" holidays with our girls. (It kind of feels weird buying a
book to take it apart, but I was inspired by Dayna's wall art in her
nursery, consisting of pages taken out of a beautiful children's
book!) There are so many things in life to celebrate, and I want to
get in the habit of celebrating on each and every occasion possible.
My mom was great at that. There was always something on the fridge or
the back door that acknowledged a holiday. Our holiday traditions
were often food-related too (imagine that, food being important to
the Horvath's!), and we celebrated with a special cake, meal, or
dessert that recognized the holiday. Even on voting day! Mom would
wrap a nickel and a quarter (I think) in tin foil, and bake into a
cake. As the story goes, whoever got the quarter would be guaranteed
victory for whomever they voted for.

I read a few pages out of another book this morning that happens to
be along the same line - treasuring God in our traditions, by Noel
Piper. I especially like the forward by her husband John, where he
talks about how their family sees God in everyday happenings. "Woven
into our family life is the conviction that God is most glorified in
us when we are most satisfied in him. His glory and our joy are not
at odds. He gets the glory. We get the joy." What a great outlook.
For so long I believed that by sacrificing things that I enjoyed, by
"giving up", that in my lack of happiness, He would at least be
glorified. And that's just so opposite of what it really is. Those
moments in life when we feel that all is well, that everything is
"right with the world", that we want to bottle up and keep forever -
that is what our hearts respond to.

Wow, what a rabbit trail.

We got some more of the house cleaned out last night - almost to the
point where we can take some pictures to share! (yes, let this be an
indication of how much stuff the previous owners left!) And in the
midst of the junk are treasures - I'm very excited about the old
wringer washer in the basement - I think it's going to be fabulous
for keeping bottled soda cold for outdoor parties in the summertime!

Truth is stranger than fiction.

At a recent wal-mart shopping trip recently, we bought an insulated
bag since we live far enough away from the grocery store that we want
to make sure our frozen food is still cold by the time we get home.
The cashier pointed to it and started a conversation, "so, would you
believe a guy brought one of these back the other day and said it was
defective since his ice cream melted in it? I asked him what he had
in it, and he said 'ice cream and fried chicken. It says it's
supposed to keep things both hot and cold'." OH DEAR! I was sure he
was joking, but he assured us he wasn't, and that he sees the
strangest things working there. I have no doubt!

Today.

Was a banner day, and it's only a little after noon.

We heard that the camp retreat this past weekend was a success and blessing to the kids who attended, we closed on our new house (hooray), and I have a hot date with my lovely Sammy tonight.

And, it was 62 here yesterday, and word on the streets is that winter is coming to an end and we can look for many more 60 and 70 degree days in the next few weeks. 

The speaker this weekend talked a lot about Thanksgiving, and how being thankful in tough circumstances is actually a sacrifice that we're commanded to make. Ps. 50:14 - "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High." And with that, I'll share that it's tough right now to be thankful for my silly "eye injury". I burned the top layer of cells off of my right eye this weekend at the retreat by accidentally using the wrong contact lens solution (it was a contact cleaner with peroxide, not solution). Let's just say it was right up there with childbirth, and I'm glad that it's better than it was at first. But it was a very "in-my-face" opportunity to be thankful for something that's...well...not pleasant.  Not "compare myself with someone less fortunate" to make myself feel better, but truly be thankful.

And so - I am filled with thanks today. For all the good things in our lives. And those not-so-pleasant things as well. 

Pictures on the house to come. The previous homeowner was still packing her stuff up this morning, so we're going to give her a few days before we barge in. The pictures from before we bought it still have all her stuff in it, and it will be easier for ya'll to "see" the house without all the "stuff" in the pictures!

word clouds.

I made this word cloud of this blog at the end of last year. I love
that home is the center. It's very fitting, since that's where my
heart is too.

What a will.

One of the (many) off limits places in this house, and the first
place Millie makes a beeline for whenever she can sneak away. The
bathroom. The door closes by itself, so she'll crawl up to it, and
bat at the door to see if she can open it. If she can't, she whines
and hits the door. But isn't she so darn cute?

Feel free to note the luxurious linoleum flooring and electric wall
heaters. Two of the things that have been an adjustment. However - if
that's as worse as it gets, we're doing great. We're very thankful
for a place to call home that came out of the woodwork right before
we moved.

Our feathered friends.

There's cardinals all over down here.
You see them while driving even - they flight and flit about in the
shrubbery on the sides of the road.

We picked up some bird seed, and Lydia's new favorite thing to do is
to spread it along the rails of the porch and then watch from inside
as the "mommy cardinal" and "daddy cardinal" come and eat.

Here's a shot of the mommy cardinal. The daddy's sure brighter.
Apparently, faster too.

Of house and home.

My new obsession: I'm fascinated with keeping house.

For the first time since we were newly married, I'm at home and loving it. Though I have less time to spend on "the house" than I did back in 2002, I am enjoying it much more thoroughly this time around. I feel like I've missed out on so much these past five years. 

There's a certain cadence and security that I find in the daily inner workings of a home that's being "kept". I love routines, and now that I'm home, I'm finally able to instill daily routines to enrich our lives as a family and keep our home up and running. Well, I'm instilling the "idea" of some of these more than the actual "happenings", but we're taking them one at a time. I feel that these routines are something that bind women together across generations, social stratus, and location. Everyone has a dirty kitchen to clean up after the morning rush. Every woman at some point does laundry, dusts, changes sheets, goes grocery shopping (or marketing, as home comforts calls it, which I get a kick out of), cooks, sweeps, and wonders whether it's ok to hand wash the sweater with the "Dry clean" tag. I feel very connected and grounded when I'm intentionally adhering to routines for our home. 

These books have been a source of information and inspiration. House to a home is a British book I believe, and may be out of print. It's so lovely -  It makes me want to designate an art room in our new house, and have leisurely morning brunches outdoors with Sam while the girls run barefoot through a flower garden. Thanks Rachael for this book you gave us back in 2003! Though I perused it in the past, it's finally getting its due love.

And Home Comforts has a fabulous chapter on tidying, and the "broken window theory". So true in our house! 

Any suggestions or tips you've found to work really well at your house?

>

Mayonnaise.

What to do when the dinner recipe calls for a few tablespoons of
mayo, and there's none in the fridge, with the nearest grocery a 45
minute round trip away?
You make your own.

I was shocked at how simple it was. A little ewey about the raw egg
yolk, but we're not dead yet - I just made sure to keep it off the
baby's food.
A blender, oil, lemon, an egg yolk, salt, and ten minutes is all it
took. And it's delicious with cayenne, garlic, and onion. I may be
hooked.

A very large house with a lot of work.

This is the beautiful old house we looked at last week. It's
currently split up into an apartment downstairs and one upstairs. The
amount of potential this house has is unbelievable. The amount of
work needed, overwhelming.

If we were at a different point in our lives, this would be an
absolute yes. But with two little ones and the desire for a
*somewhat* finished house within the next five years, we marked this
off the list.

It was originally built as an orphanage. It sports transom windows,
leaded glass, a fireplace in the livingroom, and five feet of water
in the basement.

Mail stop.

This is what getting our mail looks like.
It's the little country store (not sure what they sell other than
milk and eggs) a half mile down the road.

We pass a little park, which makes for a fabulous outing when we walk
for our mail.

Country living, this is.