Celebrating Forty Years and Seven Months

When our 40th wedding anniversary rolled around last August, we were on Baby Watch and couldn't really plan ahead. Then autumn was busy and we used Ron's time off for Bekah's senior trip and then the holidays came and time got away from us. And so a couple of weeks ago, we took a few days away from the day-to-day, away from wedding prep, away from the job, away from senior year homeschool, away from the clock.

Forty years is a big deal, and we wanted to mark the occasion. 

As we were planning for our little trip, I said something about it being crazy to take time away during this very busy season. Ron said, "Is it crazy? I think it's a good time to go away."

He was absolutely right.

Selfie fail. 😉

We had three lovely days of reflecting. Of looking back through the years. Of remembering the good and the bad, the victories and the challenges, and God's faithfulness. 

We had three lovely days for conversation. For no schedule. For meandering through antique stores. For relaxation. For putting aside the to-do lists. For coffee shops. For eating meals when we wanted them. For watching HGTV and a marathon of "Fixer Upper" (a treat for us, since we don't subscribe to cable TV).

We had three lovely days of looking toward the future, knowing that our lives are changing and feeling bittersweet about that, but knowing that the God who has been faithful over these forty years and seven months will continue to be faithful. 

We wanted some sort of tangible marker of our fortieth wedding anniversary. Although the traditional gift for forty years is ruby . . . 

~ source ~

, , , we thought that pewter was more "us." We are happy with our new sugar and cream set. 

During this busy season of our lives, we are grateful for the days that we were able to stop and reflect and enjoy time together. We thank our God for these forty-plus years! 

Bathroom Refresh

Our first 2019 house project is complete!

It was a relatively simple one. We called it a "bathroom refresh" because it didn't feel like a full remodel. This was our plan:

• Paint the walls and all the trim. ✔   

• Hang a new ceiling light. ✔

• Remove the fluorescent light above the vanity. ✔

(We could still add vanity lights over this mirror if we find the right thing.)

• Make shutters for the window. ✔

Regardless of what we called it, we feel like the small changes have made the bathroom feel visually cleaner, brighter . . . and, yes, "fresher." 

I'll sign off with a couple of before-and-after shots. 

To be fair, I have to tell you that the "befores" were taken with my camera and the "afters" were taken with Kati's (I used hers because of the low light today), so part of the brighter-and-fresher is due to the difference in cameras.

Pinky

💕 PINKY 💕

We're not sure when she was born, but she came to us a little over ten years ago.

She was petite and bold and needy and full of attitude,
and she had a loud, deep voice that startled everyone.

And she won her way into our home and into our hearts.

Several weeks ago, our Pinky had a stroke. 

She seemed to recover, but then she had at least two more strokes.

From the last one, she did not recover.

We were so sad to let her go, and we'll miss her dearly,

but we are glad that she was a part of our lives.

House Project Goals 2019

Two whole months (and a couple of days) into 2019. Is anyone besides me still talking about goals for the "new year"? Most likely, not! But a promise is a promise, and so I am back to finish this little series that I began in January . . . before Kati got engaged and before a spring wedding was planned! 

These are the House Projects that we're planning for 2019:

BATHROOM REFRESH  This is not a complete remodel, but we're tackling a few things in our main bathroom, the one that the girls share and that most of our guests use.

We have two and a half bathrooms in this house and they all have pastel tile. Hello, 1950's! The sage tile in the main bathroom, however, is pleasing to my eye and it blends with our color palette in the rest of the house, so we're going save ourselves a big remodeling project and leave it alone.

This is what we are going to do.

• Paint the walls and all the trim. We are using the antique white that we use on all the walls in the house, only this time we'll use that color on the trim as well. With all the green tile, it would be too "busy" to introduce another accent color, so white it is. 
• Hang a new ceiling light. You cannot see the old fixture in the above photo (bad blogger), but we have chosen a four light saddle light something like this. 
• Remove the fluorescent light above the vanity. We haven't found vanity lights that we love, so we're not going to put any for now. If there is not enough light, we'll come back and add some later. (Bekah never turns on the fluorescent light that is there now, so she probably won't miss a vanity light.) 
• Make shutters for the window.

That's it. The project is already underway, but we have not made a great deal of progress so far. (So many other irons in the fire.)

SOUTH WALL of the KITCHEN  You've heard me talk about this before! It's been in the plan ever since we've lived here. We have made a lot of progress in the kitchen, but this south wall still needs some work.

• Move the washing machine down to the basement. 
• Move the refrigerator over to where the washing machine sits now. This will involve some re-configuring of the upper cabinets, but it will allow space for a longer section of countertop instead of two short sections on either side of the fridge. 
• Build a drawer and cabinet unit to fill in the empty space. 

LANDSCAPING  We are planning to tidy and replant some of the beds around the house. We'll start with the front this spring and move clockwise as time/budget allows.

We're also considering putting a fence across the back of the property. For thirty-eight years, we lived in the country where our views were farmland and woods with houses in the distance. Here at Pineapple House, the spring and summer views are fine with our large forsythia hedge and a big oak tree on the lot in back of ours. But during the winter, we look out of our big picture window in the living room and see the next street and cars coming and going and, well, we're hoping to create a little backyard oasis. Maybe some evergreens or shrubbery. I am picturing hydrangeas and boxwoods. (We're open to suggestions!)

GUEST BEDROOM  This is a surprise project for this year, but it's one that I am quite excited about!

I am calling this bedroom my "consolation prize." It is actually Kati's bedroom now, but as you know, very soon she will not be living here. (Cue the lump in my throat.) I will miss her terribly. But you all know how much I love house-y things, so I am consoling myself with plans to decorate her room a new guest room!

This is the photo from the ad.

I have already purchased an antique pineapple post bed. I am planning to use a matelasse coverlet, either one that I picked up at a booth at an antique market a few years ago or a newer Martha Stewart one that my mom offered me. I am looking for a dresser. I have an old Windsor rocking chair that I will bring down from the attic. (I may replace it with a wing chair in the future.) I am considering repainting the bamboo table that is on my  sun porch (it belonged to my paternal grandparents) to use as a night stand or I may just keep my eye out for something else. I am also thinking about a rug.

I've never had a dedicated guest room before. Because all our bedrooms were needed, having guests simply meant that someone gave up their bed or their room for a time. But it will be fun to have such a room (we anticipate Kati and Andrew using it the most!) and it is super fun to plan and decorate it.

PAINT MASTER BEDROOM  This is the project that I am the least excited about. Let me explain.

I am so excited about decorating the guest room. I was planning to start as soon as the wedding was over. But then I realized that all of Kati's things will still be here. Other than what she has packed in her honeymoon suitcases, everything will remain here until she and Andrew visit for Bekah's graduation. Then her earthly goods will be loaded up and make the move to their new home. (Actually, it will be Kati's "new" home; it is Andrew's home now.)

I decided that I would have to begin to decorate the new guest room in June.

But then . . . Ron tells me that while Kati's room is empty, it would be the perfect time for us to temporarily move into it while we paint the master bedroom. Ugh.

He's right. (I hate that.) Our bedroom walls are paneled and a couple coats of white paint will brighten it considerably! It also needs a new ceiling and we'd love to take up the carpet. But those are bigger projects for another time. Paint will make a big difference.

(It's only that I am chomping at the bit to get at that guest room. But I'm a big girl. I can wait.)

(I guess.)

Those are our house-y goals for 2019. 

Since the year began, we have had changes in our time and in our budget. #wedding

So we will just do what we can do, chipping away at our goals. Making concessions. Making adjustments. Taking it one step at a time. Moving forward.

I am reminded of these words of truth . . .

"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'" 

(James 4:15)

And I say "amen."

Some Other Good

"It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good." 

~ C. S. Lewis

The "good" that God provided for us last week (after ~this post~ in which I told you how busy we were and what we had coming up on the weekend) was some kind of yucky respiratory virus. And instead of plodding ahead with school and wedding invitations and the parties we had planned and all of the things on my to-do list . . . I stayed in bed and cancelled plans and prayed and slept. A lot.

It was not the kind of "good" that I had planned. It was not the kind of "good" that I would have asked for. Maybe not even the kind of "good" that I thought was best.

But it was good.

Whiplash

This post began last week as a  Five on Friday and then it changed to A Saturday Chat and then that fell apart too! So why don't I just try to catch up a little bit, drop in a few photos . . . and choose a title at the end?

Need I say that this is a busy time at our house?!

Boy-oh-boy, this year is turning out to be even busier than I imagined. Bekah is finishing her senior year of homeschool and Kati is getting married in May, both major life events, both worthy of rejoicing and celebration!

We are in the midst of lots of planning, ordering, executing, school work (two of us), working (two of us), visiting (Kati and Andrew are frequent flyers these days), and trying to squeeze in all of the things that we want to do before Kati gets married and moves away.

It is a joyful season here at Pineapple House! But we don't have time to let any grass grow under our feet.

When Andrew was in Maryland last, our dear friends (the same friends who took our last photos at The Farmhouse) took engagement photos of the happy couple. Kati shared many of the photos on her blog, along with their story thus far. I will sprinkle a few in this post.

Some moments from last week: 

Re-order wedding invitations that came with a typo. Spend time on the phone to get that corrected.

Borrow cash from Bekah. Purchase an antique bed.

Take my measurements to be fitted for my wedding outfit that I ordered online. Bekah helped me measure. Oy! (She could hold that information over my head and basically she would get whatever she wants.)

Ron and Bekah drive five hours per week so that she can log enough hours to get her driver's license. They pick up the bed that I purchased. They also buy two antique coverlets.

Go to the bank to withdraw money to repay Bekah.

Order Bekah's maid of honor gown. Bekah pays me for the dress with the money that I just returned to her. (Ah, the world of high finance.)

Order vases.

Try to keep up with school assignments and Morning Time. Take Bekah to voice lessons and choir.

Host our new home keeping group.

Run a Valentine errand. Have my debit card declined. Postpone the rest of my errands so that I can come home and call the bank about why my debit card was declined. (Answer: Vase order was "flagged" as suspicious activity.) Finish my errands.

Plan several activities that we want to do before Kati gets married three months from now. Forget to send out e-vites.

Clean. Nope.

Keep up with laundry. Nope.

Cook delicious and nutritious meals. Nope.

(Priorities, right?)

A follow up to the exchange-of-money story: Bekah also purchased a copy of Gone With the Wind off of eBay. By the time she paid me for that online order, she only netted fourteen dollars from the money that she loaned me at the beginning of the week! 🤣

New (old) coverlets atop the media cabinet

Pinky is oblivious to the hubbub of activity. "Just give me a sun patch or a lap."

Non-homemade Valentine treats

Some plans for this week . . . 

Write out wedding invitations. Yes, the corrected edition came at the end of last week so we're good to go! Whew! Cue the calligraphy pen and hours at the dining room table . . .

Traditional Christmas luncheon at Gammy's. There was sickness around on the originally scheduled date in December, so rather than miss it entirely, the girls went to Gammy's today. It ended up being more of a post-Valentine luncheon and that was totally fine!

Two game nights! This falls under the category of "things we want to do before Kati moves away."

The first one is a Grand Game Night. One night last summer, we invited the grands to play Phase 10 and we had such a good time that we're going to do it again with a different game.

The second game night is a class reunion of sorts. The mothers and daughters from the homeschool co-op we were a part of when Kati was a high schooler are coming for games and refreshments. We anticipate lots of conversation and laughter.

Christmas Winter Luncheon with Gammy

Winter decor this year included a new plaid wool pillow and lots of candles. I also scattered pine cones here, there, and everywhere. Inside the lantern on the mantle. On the coffee counter. In the dough bowl on the dining room table. A ginormous one on the drop leaf table in the living room.

But suddenly, I am tired of pine cones. I am not totally tired of winter even. Just those pine cones. So off they will go, along with the pine wreath that is still on my front door.

Buh-bye, pine cones!

I think I'll get a pot of tulips to put on the dining room table for game night(s) . . . 

I have not forgotten that I promised (way back ~here~) to share our house project goals for 2019. I am still planning to do that, although a couple of those goals have changed since the beginning of the year. Life changes mean house changes! Stay tuned. 

Do you have whiplash from reading this post . . . as my conversation turned one way and then another and as my photos did the same thing? 

Such is life here at Pineapple House right now!

I'll probably continue to be in and out of Blogland this spring. Blog updates, visits, and comments will likely be sporadic. I wish that I was the kind of person who could zip in and out and write a post in a few minutes and make quick comments. But I am not that kind of person. At all.

I'll leave you with one more engagement photo.