This Week . . .

This week I had to buy a new laptop. 

And being without a laptop all week confirmed the fact that I really do need to upgrade my (very) old phone. 

And having to read anything online on the tiny screen of my (very) old phone confirmed the fact that I also need to break down and get new glasses.

So . . . our cash flow may be taking a hit, but at least I'll be connected and current and I'll be able to see! 💻 📱 👓

Five on Friday

Gathering some big and small joys of the past few weeks . . . 

{one}

We celebrated the October birthdays on Sunday with a tailgate party theme! 

{two}

There is new construction next door. Having lived in a rural area for thirty-eight years where are closest neighbors were not very close, we have mixed feelings about it. But such is life in a neighborhood and we have enjoyed watching this cute house come up!

{three}

Progress continues on the kitchen remodel! This photo was taken last weekend and Ron has done some painting since then. Next up: finish the painting, make a drawer for the base cabinet, install counter top. We will likely be finished several weeks before our target date (Thanksgiving)!

{four} 

 He's learning to be a house cat. (Do you think he knows that he matches the coverlet? 😉)

{five}

The leaves are turning, the weather has turned (hallelujah!), and I am drinking up October! Last year, I went with white and green pumpkins and gourds for my fall decorating. This year I was feeling orange!

It's been a busy month. I could easily do "Ten on Friday" but then I'd lose the alliteration and some things may not be interesting or pretty . . . and maybe not even my story to tell.

This I know: God is faithful and His grace surrounds our days!


May your weekend be grace-filled!

Progress Update in the Kitchen

If you haven't seen my Happy News yet, be sure to check out my last post! In the meantime . . .

Ron is off this week and things are happening in the kitchen! And I am not talking about cooking, although there has been some of that too. After all, autumn has finally arrived and I am itching to cook fall foods. This week I have made White Chicken Chili from the Love, Welcome, Serve cookbook, a Bolognese  sauce served over spaghetti squash, and a Harvest Apple Cake. I'm also planning to make a batch of pumpkin muffins to share. 

But back to the kitchen. 

After three-and-a-half years in the Pineapple House . . .

** drum roll please **

. . . the washing machine is out of my kitchen and has been moved to the basement! Yay!! 

Now work is underway on the south wall of the kitchen. If you recall, we are Ron is moving the refrigerator over, reconfiguring the cabinets, building a new base cabinet unit, and installing new countertop. Then we'll need to paint this wall of cabinets. 

Before . . . 

Work in progress . . . 

Gotta love it when your refrigerator is in the middle of the floor! 🤣 (Actually, I DO love it because it means that progress is being made!)


Side note: I hate that the cabinet/trim color reads pink in photos. You may recall that parts of the kitchen trim have been painted three times already and I promised Ron that I would settle on this third color (Benjamin Moore's Kangaroo) and be content. I am content sometimes. When the lighting is just right, it is the color that I like. But artificial light brings out the slightest tint of pink and photos make it worse. Sigh.


Ron is making great strides this week, and we both hope to have all the work done by Thanksgiving! 

Happy News!!

If you read my most recent post you might be wondering . . 

Who are the happy parents of Blessing # 12 ?

It is Kati and Andrew who are being blessed with the privilege of parenthood!

Sweet new adventures await!

I am so grateful. I have lived long enough to learn that parenthood is not a guarantee. It is a gift directly from the Lord. No, I do not pretend to know why some are chosen to be parents and some are not. I only know that the gift of parenthood is an amazing privilege and a sobering responsibility given by a sovereign Lord.

We are rejoicing . . . and we are also praying for this new little person (arriving in early May) and for his/her wonderful parents!

Twelve Blessings!!

Crying Uncle

Yesterday, I cried uncle. 

I gave up my wait for autumn temperatures (the weatherman says it will feel fallish by the weekend, but really . . . will it ever be out of the 90's?) and Bekah and I jumped in the van and went out and grabbed some fall!

What's the weather like where you are? Endless summer? Delightfully fall? Dreadfully chilly?