Winter frost and greater beauty

Does anyone else remember their windows looking like this as a child? I remember looking at it while I lay in my bed and thinking about how beautiful it was. 

I hadn't really seen frost on Windows again until we moved into this old house with old windows. And once again I pause to look at it and think it is beautiful. What an amazing world God created.   

Something that hits me as an adult is how fleeting these displays of beauty are.  Maybe that comes with life experience. As a child I don't remember ever thinking, "this will be gone soon and will never happen again." The older I get the more and more I have thoughts like these. I see a sunset or sunrise and I pause a little bit longer because I realize there will never be another one that looks quite the same. I stop to drink in just a little more beauty. These things produce longings in me for beauty that lasts and is permanent.  I guess it is longing for heaven. Tastes of something greater. Pointers to the most beauty. Small reminders to not focus on this world because it is passing away. To look beyond the here and now to my eternity that is secure in that glorious city. 

Praise God for beauty and may it point me continually to the greatest beauty. 

Pyrex Love!

Guys, for years I have been hitting up

Target after Christmas clearance hoping to find Pyrex. I always see other people find it. I've gotten my hopes up a couple times, but it has always rung up full price. 

Well, guess what?!? I hit the jackpot today!! I bought seven of these dishes!  They were only $1.50 a piece. What? They are a favorite in my house and the perfect size for leftovers. We use them all the time. All the time. I adore them. 

Yay, for the target Christmas clearance!! 

Hooded towels

I made two hooded towels for Christmas for my nieces. As an aside, it is especially hard to find fun colors for girl towels in stores. Where are all the purples and pinks? And who is buying salmon/peach still? There are plenty of greys, blues, and odd shades of greens. 

I tried to give my USPS man a break, but I was thwarted by a limited selection in stores and ended up buying these online with free shipping! But I tried. I tried to buy them in stores! 

My model wasn't very corporative.

Pictures

When Dad lets you play with his old toys. 

Christmas!!

Dominos

Look at these giant dominos we found for the boys!! 

One of my favorite hymns. 

And my Favorite Christmas present! 

My sister made this for me. AND she made me three pieces of polish pottery. So amazing. So cool!! 

A few Christmas thoughts

This is how we spent most of yesterday, holding little sick boys and reading books. At one point, I put James down for a nap and then the rest of us fell asleep on the couch. 

Today we finally hung up our growing pile of Christmas cards. Yay! It feels like Christmas. 

I wish I had had time to get our cards together or that I had found my box of cards and at least sent those out. They are still missing. Maybe when I search my house for hidden Christmas presents I will stumble soon them. They have to be somewhere. 

I started a quilt today. I'm making it to cover our garage door that doesn't seal and has a cat door cut in it. Grrrr. 

Sappy post

These two! 

Before I had kids I really wanted a girl to be my oldest so that I would have a little helper for my younger kids. Plus, I am the oldest and I am a girl and I think oldest girls are pretty special. 

But let me tell you about Martin!! He is just the sweetest and dearest oldest child I could have asked for. He loves his brothers and he loves to help with anything (building a rocking chair, vacuuming, collecting trash, unloading dishwasher, helping his brothers put on shoes or coats, raking the yard). He does it joyfully. Sometimes he put me to shame with how patient he is with his brothers.  He talks a mile a minute and thinks deeply about life. 

I guess this is just a sappy post to say, I love you buddy!! And I wouldn't trade you for a thousand oldest girls. 

Ad then there is Warbie... He is my snuggly one. He loves to do whatever Martin is doing, which means he is usually offering to help me too. It is a joy to have two brothers that love each other so much! I have so much fun being their mom. I love the little years. 

Those are their work uniforms (safety glasses, hard hats, ear protection, and gloves). 

And then there is this jolly soul... I don't think a happier baby ever existed. 

They are all in the midst of a cold and general yuckiness. I am pausing to be grateful for the well days and the good times in the midst of illness. And I am thanking God for letting me be their mom and praying he makes himself real to them at an early age. That he grabs hold of their lives and changes them to love his word and his work. That he give them a passion to glorify him with their time, talent, and treasure. 💜

Happy Wednesday before Christmas. 

Wisconsin

Last week, for Christmas, my parents watched the kids and gifted us a few nights away at a marriage retreat in the cutest of little towns. 

Right on Lake Michigan. 

It was freezing. Well, below freezing. Like 20°F each day. And we had about 100 pages of reading to do each day, in addition to lectures. So, we didn't do much exploring. 

The last night it dusted with snow. 

We stopped to look at the lighthouse before we drove to the airport. Too cold to get out of the car. 

Snowy as we left. We flew in clouds the entire trip. 

And we came home to more snow. 

Crazy. 

Now Jared has some sort of stomach bug (or food poisoning) and two of the boys have had colds since Monday. I've been doing a lot of holding sick kids, reading books, and wiping noses. 

I did manage to make three draft stopper door things for the bedroom doors we don't use upstairs. It was a good distraction for the boys to help stuff them with beans and fabric scraps. And my hallway seems much warmer now... Maybe it is just my imagination. 

Maybe things will be more normal next week. I haven't even started Christmas shopping for siblings yet. Is it too late to order things? I'm in denial that Christmas is in 10 days. How can that be? 

Kitchen Hack

That feeling when you are making mozzarella and realize that your kitchen thermometer broke (over a year ago) and the candy thermometer doesn't measure anything below 140°. Mozzarella needs to be heated to 95° and 105°. What to do?!? What to do? 

Wait, those are around a normal human temperature... People thermometer to the rescue!! The batteries on my other thermometers have died. So, my Kinsa, attached to my phone had to do.  

I think it should have been more concerned with my high temperature. 

Advent Tree Update

I only have four more to make. I've been sewing one or two each night while Jared reads to me. It has been a fun little project. 

Best of all it is a great way to talk to the kids each night about the actual reason we celebrate Christmas. There is a Bible verse and suggestion verse from a Christmas carol each night. 

I'll post the book title when I post a picture of all of the ornaments on the tree. 

Christmas Tree Wall Hanging Project

I'm working on this fun wall hanging for Christmas. The pattern called for sticky Velcro, but I thought snaps would last longer.  Each day there is a reading to do and ornament that goes on the tree.  I have 4/24 ornaments sewn. I'll post pictures when I finish. 

Master Bath

A little before and after.  

Ugh. That mirror frame was so ugly. The walls were just too white. FYI. I learned that I dislike painting over gloss paint. 

I still need to hang pictures and paint the trim around my bedroom windows (you can see one of them In the mirror - and you can see my new accent wall).

In the future I would like to take down the old towel racks and replace them them with hooks.  

But I fixed where I cut in in a different shade of paint and it looks so much better. It feels so much more calm and peaceful. 

I'll post full before and afters once I get it totally finished. And when I get on a computer an access all my before pictures. 

Ugh! A juvenile mistake.

First, on a positive note. When a space heater is ugly and sticks out like a sore thumb...

White paint!! It makes everything look better. Don't worry. I'm putting another coat of paint on it later today. This is just primed. But even just primed it looks better. 

Did anyone notice my mistake in those pictures? Want to venture a guess? 

Here is another picture to help you out. 

Hint: I had two grey paint containers. They were supposed to be the same color...

I did what I was supposed to do and mixed the two together, but there was just a little too much to put in one bucket. So, I stupidly used the leftovers to cut in. And it wasn't mixed the same as the others and it stands out. So, I'll be repainting that today or tonight after ESL. Oh well. Lesson learned... Maybe.  

Jared tells me I should have poured the buckets back and forth a couple times and then it would have mixed them and it wouldn't have matter when I used the little bit, to cut in, that couldn't fit. Hmmmmm. So wise. I'll be doing that next time. 

Hmmmm.

I'm at it again. 

I'm waiting to get some shelves and paintings put up before I post real pictures of the accent wall in my bedroom, but here is a sneak peak. :) It was taken while the walls had wet paint still. 

Sewing Room Progress

Guys, I've been living out of boxes in my fabric room for quite a while now. But look, it is coming together!!! It is starting to look way more cozy and inviting to sew in. I might actually get some projects knocked off the in-progress list. 

I spent a few hours today sorting fabric into bins by collections and types. There is still more to go through, but it is getting closer and I am happy. 

For a project I'm about to start. 

Additional 1930s fabrics. The rest are on the bookshelf on the right on bolts. 

What color should I paint my sewing room? Bright white? Yellow? We have done a bunch of blue and some green in the house already. I'm not sure what color to paint in here, but these tan walls desperately need updating and cheering up. What is a good sewing room color? 

Painting (reality and not just thoughts)

You know that thinking I was doing yesterday... I'm all in now. Ha ha. 

The blue is lighter in person. 

And if I hate it when I am finished, I can paint over it. But so far, I like it. 

Fall!!!!

We love Fall days. 

Pillowcases (and random thoughts on painting)

For their third birthdays we let the kids pick out fabric for pillowcases. It is highly entertaining. There are so many ugly fabrics that kids are drawn too. 

Warren did pretty well. 

1.  fire trucks (I had some flame fabric in a pile of scraps that someone gave me - it made a perfect cuff). Why was this firetruck fabric $12.99 a yard at Hobby Lobby (it is a cheap fabric). I don't even pay that much for nice fabric. 

2. Minions. Everything minions. They have never even seen the movies. But Aunt Hope hooked them on them and we can't stop. It is the only "themed" items I will agree to buy. I forgot to add the extra fabric to this one and now it is a bit short. I might go back and add something, but it requires pre washing a piece and then sewing it on. And I'm not sure I am that bothered that it is a bit too short. 

This is how we haul in the groceries. 

I get to teach one of the beginning classes for ESL tonight. I'm avoiding working on my lesson. I already made a huge pot of sausage and gravy for a church breakfast this week. Now I keep staring at one of the walls in my room and thinking about painting it. Do you think I could get it done before Jared came home?

This is my inspiration. The room doesn't get enough light to paint all the walls dark blue. But I loved the colonial blue in my old room and I have enough leftover for one wall (from the schoolroom).  Recently, I've been dreaming about an accent wall. Hmmmmm. 

 

Happy Birthday, Warbie!

Warbs turned 3! We love you, little buddy. You are the cuddliest of kids. You ask me, "what can I help you with, mom?" several times a day. And you are so full of energy and fun. I am so thankful to be your mom. 

I pray that God uses your joyful, serving heart for big things in His kingdom! Always trust him. He knows best and he loves you more than I do. He will never let you down. I pray you love him with all your heart, soul, and mind! 

We've been partying all weekend. Yesterday we got to visit some friends that have chickens and goats and help them make applesauce. They also had this cool rocking horse and hat. :) The boys loved all the animals. Loved them. 

Saturday just Warbie and i went to run errands. It was fun to hang out with just him. I was planning on going by myself and having alone time, but how could I resist when this little face begged to come alone?!? I can be alone when I am old. And I will miss having him as my shadow. 

He adores Lowly Worm. Seeing him in person is super exciting. We also went and picked out fabric for pillowcases for his bed. I'll post those later this week. It was my sewing project this weekend. Super quick and rewarding. 

Grandma and Granddad bought him a bike and he pretended not to like it. But he really does. 

He picked his clothes out. Those overalls are his favorite article of clothing right now. 

Pops and GC gave him a duplo dump truck and excavator. He had been playing with it for 2 straight hours this morning. Not only is it fun to put together, he also can play with it afterwards. It is a great toy. We love those toys that are duel purpose (following instructions, building, fine motor skills, and imagination and play).