Sunday Snapshots: July Birthdays

Summer birthday season is upon us! 

Time to celebrate!

Of course, their parents plan birthday festivities for each child (a family party, an extended family party, friends over, a special outing...) and we are often included in the celebration. Even so, Gran and Papa like to mark each birthday with a little something special at our weekly Sunday gathering. So this week, we honored the dear grand-girlies who have July birthdays: Eve, who will be 9 this week, and Maddie, 12 at the end of the month. 

Birthday Bingo

photo by Kati

The prize is a hug or kiss from Gran! 

photo by Kati

photo by Kati

photo by Kati

A view from the kitchen window

Puzzle races!

Everyone put together the same puzzle, trying to do it in the least amount of time.

Keeping score.

Later this week...
A post about the updated living room and dining room here at Pineapple House. I'll show you what we've done, share lots of pictures of the space, talk about paint colors, and tell you our plans for a few more tweaks. 

Saturday Graces

Graces...things that I do not deserve, but that He has seen fit to give to me. These are all joys here on a June Saturday.

~ The living room and dining room have a fresh coat of paint...and I love it!

It was hard work. A lot of space to cover. Three of the five painters are aged 55 and older. And because we were painting where wallpaper had been, and because that required a "skim coat" of wallboard compound, and because skim coats need to be sanded, and because our sanding team didn't warn me so that I could cover everything first (ahem), there was a layer of fine white dust coating the entire dining room and parts of other rooms. Oh dear. Check out the photos below...

But the painting was completed in two days, the clean up took another, and now I am so pleased that I have (almost) forgotten the agony and the ibuprofen.



~ Birthday cupcakes and espresso cookies

The kitchen is smelling heavenly today! Cupcakes are cooling on the island, waiting to be frosted. We are celebrating July birthdays tomorrow, our granddaughters Eve and Maddie. On the counter is a batch of espresso cookies, a new recipe that Kati made for a game party that she is hosting tomorrow evening. Pineapple House will be busy tomorrow!

~ Air conditioning is a much-appreciated gift on a hot, humid Saturday when the oven is getting a workout!




~ I am a pilgrim. 

Indeed, it is no secret that I love house-y things. In fact, as we are settling into a new home, I find myself thinking of house-y things a lot...dreaming, imagining, planning. But I must never lose sight of the fact that it is all temporary, hardly even a blip on the radar of eternity.

Yes, this world is dark and it seems to get worse by the day. As believers, we wear "the stigma of strangers."

But we're traveling on. "We are not homeless prodigals here because we have someplace to go." 

"We are pilgrims to the city of God."

And that, my fellow travelers, is a marvelous grace.

Fresh Paint

Paint. 

It is a marvel. It is one of the cheapest (relatively speaking), quickest decorating tools. 

Paint is what we're all about here at Pineapple House this week! The four of us and a generous friend are painting the living room and dining room. Of course, those are the biggest rooms, so the house is a giant mess. That kind of bothers my brain, but I am thinking ahead to the end product: a fresh, clean space that fits our style and our stuff. 

Now, I need to pick up my paintbrush and get back to work...so I don't get fired! :)

Perseverance

It was a crazy year for us, but we're getting it done. 

School, that is. 

Between trips to the beach and other fun things.

And the end is in sight! 

Ready or Not, Here it Comes!

Our school year was wild and woolly, maybe the craziest ever! Between Ron's health crisis and our move, life has been a roller coaster! 

(Have I told you that I am not a roller coaster kind of gal? At amusement parks, I can usually be found at the kiddie rides. I'll stick with the carousel, thank-you-very-much. Of course, I no longer have small children to provide a reason for the kiddie rides. Hmmm. Maybe: I'll "sacrifice" and hold your purse/bag/camera while you ride that insane exciting ride, okay?)

So...on this first day of summer (even though Bekah is not quite finished with school) we are making our summer plans. Plans that are not of the wild-and-woolly sort. Plans that include relaxing and sleeping in and a few beach days. Plans for a read-aloud. Plans for having ONE big party for ALL of the August birthdays (and there are many). Plans for Ron to take a week of vacation (and he never takes vacation in the summer) so that we can do some painting. Plans for making memories. We are trying to simplify summer this year, taking time for our people without jamming the days with activity. Do you think it can be done? 

Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills we will do this or that." 

James 4:15

Amen.

Yesterday, "taking time for our peeps" meant honoring our fathers. And we do have some amazing (and handsome) fathers in our family!

Are you making summer plans? What does an ideal summer look like to you? 

Dear Buyers...

Our dear friends Frances and Gary gave us a wonderful gift -- one more family photo shoot before we moved from The Farmhouse. Precious memories hung in the air as we gathered on an April afternoon. 

Two months later, life has changed. The Farmhouse memories linger. They always will, for The Farmhouse was where life happened for most of our years. But we are content and we're making new memories in another place. 

And The Farmhouse...it is the setting for a new family to live and grow and make memories. To this family we say...

Dear Buyers,

We pray that your life in The Farmhouse is good. 

That it is filled with love

and beauty,

good books

and rich learning,

good food, enough to share, 

and an open door.

May the walls echo laughter 

and words of encouragement

and music

and singing

and worship.

May you enjoy quiet moments

and moments of celebration.

We pray you find strength for life's trials

and that your family's bonds will be made stronger because of them.

May you know peace

and contentment

and forgiveness

and always, always grace. 

Because of Jesus.

Five on Friday | Summering

If you've been here with me for very long, you already know that summer is not my favorite as I don't like the heat and humidity that typify a Mid-Atlantic summer. Nevertheless, I find plenty of things to love about summer and this week I have been trying to summer my house up a bit.

ONE

Find of the week: this summer-themed Warren Kimble mug found in a local antique store for a dollar!

(Love Warren Kimble!!)

TWO

On the same stroll through the antique store, I found Susan Branch's The Summer Book. 

I fell in love with her Autumn book years ago (because autumn IS my favorite!), so I happily added this one to my library.

THREE
Geraniums on my front stoop say summer.

FOUR

A starfish on the sun room table says summer too!

FIVE

Who doesn't enjoy the flavors of summer? Mmmmm...

Are you summering yet?

I am linking to Five on Friday again this week.
Thanks, Amy, for hosting!