Staying Put

I think this is the first time in months that I've had a chance to relax. I've been so busy with weddings and home remodeling and gardening and such- that my mind has been in a constant whirlwind.
This morning I grabbed a cup of coffee, opened the back door to let the cool air in, and sat down to my blog. I think I'm just going to keep it the way it is. I may change the colors once in awhile, but I've been thinking that it's not what it looks like that matters- it's what it says. Hopefully I'll be able to hop back on the horse and enjoy this journey again. Bear with me as I learn to type with two fingers again! Writing a blog post is a heck of a lot different than clicking LIKE on Facebook or pressing REPIN on Pinterest.
Another reason why I've returned to this comfy chair in the early morning is because I think (cross my fingers) that my internet service has improved. I will attempt to post pictures today of what I've been doing for the past few months. And soon I'll be visiting my favorite blogs again. I've missed the laughter, the eye candy, the reflections of your lives- and the love. I've really missed the love....
In May, my oldest daughter got married:

It was a beautiful occasion!

Then, we started remodeling our house:

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Then, we continued with the bathroom:

DURING

AFTER

And into the garage:

BEFORE

AFTER

Then it wouldn't be complete without a laundry room makeover, would it?

But, luckily all work and no play makes one insane. So I had a great summer in between the stress!

Virgin Islands

St.John VI

Sailing on the ocean

Rafting the Current River, MO

Gardening

Cabin

Cabin life

Looking back, despite all the hard work, I have been blessed. Truly.

And now, as I take the last sip of my coffee, I suddenly feel like this blog is my home again. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Closing The Door

If you follow this blog at all, you know that lately my posts have been pretty much nonexistent. A busy summer and a huge lack of enthusiasm for writing has caused me to forsake my blogging life. But, that's "Just The Way It Is".

However, as the summer winds down, I yearn for the pouring out of my heart again. I want to dance with words again. I want my soul to sing. I feel the need to put time's passing into order...

I'm working on a new format and title and I hope you will bear with me as I once again change things up. I always was one to move the furniture around every few months out of boredom and exploration. Same goes for my blog.

I will post the new blog address here when it comes to fruition. Miss all you good people. I definitely will be back in a few weeks- or a month- sometime soon, anyway.

Enjoy these days. They are precious.

Checking In...

I finally finished the kitchen remodel. But it has spread into the laundry room,  jumped to the old bathroom, and invaded every fingerprinted wall in need of fresh paint. Plus, before that is even finished, my husband decided the garage was next on the fix-it-up-till-it-hurts list and we worked from 8am till 6pm in 104 degree heat yesterday. Face it, folks. I'm too pooped to to blog!
But I feel bad about forsaking my writing- (and all of you). I do this every year, I think. Reach a point where I'm too busy with yard work and gardening and other things to even pause here to say hello.
Come autumn, I'll be writing steady again. I hope. I do have a new grand baby due in November. Looking forward to that.
And I have a fantastic family vacation in the works soon, also! Hopefully that trip will inspire me.
In fact, I may redesign this whole blog...kinda tired of it already. But- I'll let you know if I move.
For now, I'm stuck here with paint in my hair, garden dirt under my fingernails and a bank account that is getting drained by DIY projects.
If my internet didn't SUCK BIG TIME, I would post Before and After pics...But, no.
Hope you all had a great 4th. See you all soon, I hope!

I Shall Seek

My world is like a lighthouse.

Every morning I awake and look outside-
seeing an ocean of life that merely
touches the edges of my boundaries-
I, always fearful of wandering too far
and becoming lost.
Worried that I cannot swim as well as others...
Not knowing if there is anything beyond the rim of the sunset.

I watch from the window with binoculars,
sending out a beacon -
in hopes that Fate and Adventure will someday find me.


My world is like a forest.

I grow comfortable with the trees.
They hide the imperfections.
They camouflage my sadness and insecurities-
and they cushion me from the unknown.
Sometimes I wonder if I started walking
if I would find the sunshine-
or die from a lack of living in the shadows.

My world is like a mountain.

And I've never climbed it.

Content to remain at the bottom, looking up.
Sometimes I dream about the other side -
and imagine it as a wonderland
where I can run and fly
and bathe in joy.

My world is like a desert.

And it leaves me thirsty.
Yet, I always convince myself I don't need to drink-
that what I have
and what I do
is all that is expected of me.

But your love has made me want to open my eyes,
unfurl my wings,
break down the barriers of fear
and push through to something called living.

I'm stepping out-
swimming in that ocean,
exploring the forest,
climbing that mountain,
and crossing that desert.

Fate and Adventure is calling me
and this time-
I will go to them.

Kitchen Chaos

Right now I should be in my kitchen.
Not cooking.
Not making a fresh pot of coffee.
Not even trying to scrape the dried egg yolk from around the stove top.

I should be on my hands and knees gathering up every old bottle of Windex, crunchy lemon-scented SOS pads, dried up sponges, and a fragrant variety of household deodorizers guaranteed to perfume even a whale graveyard.

I should be tossing out cracked tea cups, bent silverware, stained Tupperware and a thousand plastic lids that fit absolutely nothing.

Why?
Because I'm getting a new kitchen!!!!

Forgive me, I hate to brag.
But it's not every day that a woman needs a kitchen as much as I do.

Mine sucks.

 I have two drawers.
One stuffed with dishcloths and over-plump pot holders- and another cramped with utensils that look as though someone set off a stick of dynamite in there.
I have dishes stacked on dishes and my pots and pans have had to find a home in the laundry room. (Now-no more having to move the 2-ton pressure cooker to fold towels!Yay!)

The kitchen is one room of the house that we never "got around to".
Somehow it got pushed to the Last Priority list.

Then it disappeared off the list completely.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's because you can't work on a tractor here, store your guitars in the corner cabinet, or whip out your welder to mend a gate on the counter top...

No, wait.

Maybe I will go that far. There- I said it.

But, oh, how sweetly my husband has redeemed himself!

The only drawback from having a fantastical new kitchen is the fact that we are only doing it in order to better sell the house. Retirement is in the cards in 18 months...Yikes!

I will try to post before and after pictures when it's finished.
For now, I better get on my Latex rubber scrubbing gloves, the claw hammer(don't tell my husband), and a ginormous burst of energy. (Where that is gonna come from, I have no clue...)

But I'm armed for the challenge.

Coffee. check!
Inspiration. check!
Excitement. check!

Here I go!

The "I Do's" are Done!

As I'm sitting here eating a piece of cheesecake and wondering why my jeans fit a little too snugly, I also reflect on the past few months...

Erin and her bridesmaids (and my new granddaughter!)

My daughter's wedding went smoothly, and if I do say so myself, it was a success. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was the 90 degree + heat -and the venue had no air conditioning. But other than my dress sticking to my freshly spray-tanned legs and everyone's hair looking as though they had been caught in a sudden rain storm, I was happy with the way everything turned out.









My daughter was absolutely beautiful...

Mr. & Mrs.

The cake topper I made for the wedding

(I'll post more pics of the wedding as I get them).

Well, I suppose I have no excuses to ignore my blog any longer. I hope to be back on a regular basis and visit all my favorite blogs also.

But today is my birthday...and I'm doing whatever I want today!
See you tomorrow!

Bountiful Blessings

I've been so overwhelmed lately. ...
And not just with chores, but also with blessings.
Who can complain about that?

First off, my daughter's wedding is in 15 days. What?? Really? Only 15? That's less than I thought! Then why am I writing when I should be making table cards or a music schedule or choosing napkins or buying stuff?....
Because I need a mental break. I need to slow down. Breathe.......Enjoy the ride.
I am so happy for my daughter and I just pray her special day goes well and it all falls beautifully into place.

We love our son-in-law to be and he comes with a very special 5 year old bonus! And we love her, too!


Speaking of weddings, my other daughter just got engaged and is planning a wedding in March. (Thank the Lord, it's not another DIY!) We love her new man and welcome him with open arms into our crazy family!





And, to top that all off, my son that got married in September...

Isn't this the cutest announcement?

and my sweet daughter-in-law....


... just gave us another blessing!

I'm gonna be a Nana again in November!!!!

My three children Sept 2011

I am going to try to keep up my blog once all this excitement calms down.
Thanks for stopping in again and allowing me to share my blessings...
Have a wonderful day!