Project #3: Blinds in the Sunroom

When we converted our screen porch into a sunroom (you can read all about it ~here~), I was so happy with all of the windows and all of the natural light! Although I knew that we would need some type of window treatment for privacy at night and to keep the sun out of people's eyes at certain times of the day, I really didn't want to cover those windows. And since I wasn't even sure what I wanted, I just waited. No hasty decisions for me. 

Fast forward about a year . . . 

I saw that BLINDS.COM was running a 4th of July sale and we decided to go for it. Ryan and Sarah had ordered from this company several times and were impressed with the quality as well as their customer service. 

After much deliberation (so typical of us . . . or is it me?), we chose Levelor Natural Woven Shades in Spa Cove Tan. They are cordless and have a light filtering liner.

We had paid to have them professionally installed, but when the time came to measure, there was no local installer available and no word on when there would be one. There was also a problem with what we had ordered (the problem was on our end!). With both issues, the company worked with us to resolve the problems and went above and beyond to make sure that we had what we wanted! We would highly recommend BLINDS.COM! 

After they arrived, we waited several weeks to install the blinds because we had two rounds of company in August and that was much better than blinds! On Labor Day, after eating our grilled burgers and corn-on-the-cob (see the ladder waiting in the background?), Ron hung all ten blinds in less than an hour! 

Yes, I did love my unadorned windows . . . 

. . . but I also love them with the new blinds! 

There is still plenty of light, but we now have the ability to filter the light and to create privacy in the room. 

Another house project checked off the list! This one, too, was mostly handled by Ron. Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened last year. 

I have one more 2023 house project left to tell you about. Unlike the library refresh and the bookcase in the bedroom, this one was not already in the works before our challenging year began. And unlike the library refresh and the blinds, it was not mostly handled by Ron. 

It was conceived and completed during the year and it was our biggest project by far!

Stay tuned . . . 

Pineapple House | Christmas Tour 2022

It has seemed like such a short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year! Much remains on the to-do list, but I wanted to pop in long enough to share our Christmas house. It has become a tradition, I suppose, considering that this is the fourteenth year that I have invited you in!

(Our other Christmas home tours can be found ~ here ~ .)

This year, there is a mix of

the tried-and-true, where we just repeat things that we have done before,

and the brand new,  because we have new pieces or even brand new spaces to decorate!

In the dining room, there is a good deal of the tried-and-true . . .  

. . . although I do have a new redware platter that I am using as a base for my table centerpiece. 

I am still enamored with Sara Hicks' desk (you can read the full story ~ here ~) and I wanted to add a bit of Christmas to it. 

For the first time in I-don't-even-know-how-many years (20-ish?), I did not make a Della Robbia arrangement for the mantel.

della Robbia mantel ~ 2016

I got out the garland that I normally use and it looked so tired. (Maybe it was me who was tired.) What I ended up with is not stellar and I will surely come up with something else for next year, but this view in the late afternoon light made me smile. 

Here are some Christmas touches in the kitchen. 

The little gnome on the windowsill was made by our granddaughter Alaine (12) and he joins the pair of wooden trees made by her cousin, our grandson Peter (also 12, although he made them a couple of years ago). 

It was exciting to decorate the guest room this year! If you've been reading here a while, then you may remember that we redecorated Kati's room and created a guest room when she got married. I've only shown you one side of that room because the other side was not finished. 

I'll tell you more details in a future blog post, but we recently had a chair reupholstered and then I hung this shelf that my sister gave me, so of course, I needed to add a few pinecones and bits of greenery to make it festive! 

This time last year, the sunroom was a screened-in porch! I had thought about putting a Christmas tree in our new room, but this was not the year. Maybe next year. But the room feels Christmasy with a few extra touches . . . 

. . . the nativity plaque that our granddaughter Nora (13) made

. . . some greenery in the antique basket on the table

. . . a little tree in the crock 

. . . and plaid! 

Last weekend, we added the Moravian star. 

Thank you for visiting our Christmas home today! 

We pray that whatever your circumstances are this year, that you are able to find JOY. As the angel of the Lord told the shepherds, 

I bring you good tidings of great joy!

Not the joy of warm fuzzies or perfect holiday celebrations. Not the joy of an untroubled life.

But the joy of a Savior who came to save His people from their sins! 

The joy of   Emmanuel - "God With Us." 

Gathering Summer Moments

Summer 2022  was a busy, event-filled summer.

For us, "summer" began a little early this year (in May), when Bekah finished classes, Maddie graduated from high school, and we took our trip south to visit Kati and family. 

It was a summer of change (or "James") as we prepared for Ryan and Sarah to move to a new state at the end of summer, and we started being greedy for time with them. 

It was the summer of the new sunroom. 

This summer held opportunities for Bekah to gather with other young adults from our church. 

Of course, summer is always birthdays, as we have twelve summer birthdays in our family. 

It was also a summer of illness and treatments and struggle for several dear friends and relatives and those things are never far from our hearts and our prayers. 

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

June was filled with moments with the local grands, including our Annual Grand Summer Sleepover. It was also Father's Day and homemade ice cream and house hunting (Ryan and Sarah) and home inspections (Ryan and Ron). 

From the faraway family: Kati's family flew down to visit Andrew's parents in June. All four got Covid and had to extend their stay. Ellie celebrated her first birthday while they were there! 

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

July was Sunday gatherings (x 5) and a little trip with Maddie and Bekah. And more house hunting and home inspections. And more homemade ice cream. It was hanging out with grands, playing games. The annual Summer Birthday Celebration was the month's finale. 

A little peek at the faraway grands . . . 

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

August was a whirlwind!

Antiquing with Bekah and then with Barbara. (I'm planning a separate post to tell you about some special finds!)  Adoption Day, at long last! A Grand Game Night. Seven birthdays. Three anniversaries. A move. Ryan and family spending about a week with us between the movers packing up their old house and settlement on their new one. (What a gift that week was!) And then to finish off a crazy month, Covid came to our house. 

A few more precious moments from Adoption Day:

As I said, the week that Ryan, Sarah, and children spent with us was such a gift.
It was a precious time of transition between them being just a few minutes away 
and being a few hours away.
Ron worked at the office. Ryan worked from our house. We ate, played games, drank iced coffee (Sarah brought her homemade concentrate . . . mmmmm), went to the playground, and listened to music. We sang/kissed/hugged babies to bed, had a family shrimp feast, and the cousins created a music video. We celebrated a couple of birthdays, had an afternoon of our own music, singing and playing instruments, drank coffee and tea, talked and talked and laughed and told stories and gave Bekah life advice. 

* * * * * * * 

Celebrations are low key when there is sickness in the house. 

Poor Bekah was pretty miserable, but there are many reasons to be grateful.

1) She did not get sick while Ryan and family were here.
2) Her scratchy throat began just before she was going to visit Gammy for her birthday, so she played it safe and did not go.
3) She was sick before her college classes began.
4) Both Ron and I stayed well.

I thank the Lord for all of those things!

An August peek at the faraway grands . . .
I grin every time I see this picture that Kati sent me.
She said they had been in those cubbies for several minutes! 
Oh, the cuteness of those four chubby little baby legs!

I am going to close this (very long) post with a quote by Elisabeth Elliot.

It has been on my mind lately and has brought great comfort and stillness to my soul.