Five on Friday

It has been a busy week!

I am no longer a homeschooling mama, and I don't work outside of the home, but I have found that there is always plenty to do. Some weeks, more than enough. I haven't even had a chance to tell you about the Spring Birthday Celebration we had last weekend. Next week, okay?

In the meantime, I'll share five snippets from our week.  

{one}

March in Maryland went out more like a lion than a lamb.

We've had a little bit of everything this past week . . . rain, snow flurries, crazy wind, cold. But April dawned mostly sunny (although there was a brief rain shower while I was running an errand this afternoon) and warmer. Tulips are popping up all over town. Spring is springing!

I have created a desktop calendar for April. Fee free to use it if you'd like. Simply right click on the photo and save to your photo files. 

{two}

This precious baby turned ONE this week! Happy birthday, beautiful Joanna! 

{three}

My sister Linda and I spent some time at my parents' house this week, helping Mom clean out a closet. We came across several packets of photos, some old, some older, including this gem that is screaming 1980s! 

A few observations:
◼ Big hair was a thing. 
◼ Apparently, lace collars were too. 
◼ Family resemblance runs strong. We look at our son Ryan in this photo and we see his son, Paul! 
◼ Youth is fleeting. 
◼ Life is a vapor. (James 4:4)

{four}

Because Bekah and Maddie were close in age, Kristin and I have always stored all of the girls' clothing in our attic, and we have a biannual try-on day. It's always such a fun day of twirling and posing and frills! This week we had the spring/summer try-on and the next day, a try-on day from seven years ago showed up in my Facebook memories. 

            2015: Alaine and Maddie  ~  2022: Maddie, Macie, and Alaine

{five} 

I encountered this quote-within-a-quote this week and remembered that I had shared it here on my blog a few years ago. 

"George Macdonald said, 'If you knew what God knows about death you would clap your listless hands,' but instead I find old people in North America just buying this whole youth obsession. I think growing older is a wonderful privilege. I want to learn to glorify God in every stage of my life."   ~ Elisabeth Elliot

The whole series I wrote on aging can be revisited by clicking on this photo:

Per usual, I am getting this in just under the wire, because in a few minutes it will be Saturday! Lord willing, I'll see you next week with a birthday celebration. 

Happy April! 

Progress on the Sunroom

This is where we are today . . .

(Oh wait!) This is actually where we were a couple of weeks ago, before  Bekah and I went on our trip to visit Kati and family. A few things have changed. I'll tell you about it later in the post.)

We are quite a bit further than we were on February 2nd when I first told you about this project of turning our screened-in sun porch into a sun room! 

Over the past month-and-a-half, we have seen our porch go from this 

Demo Day!

to this

to this.

But then there's this. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Yep. One of the windows came in the wrong size and that's holding up the show. A new one has been ordered, but who knows when it will arrive? (The original order took a couple of months.) 

In the meantime, we are painting and planning and pondering! 

Painting the walls the same color as all of the walls in our house, Antique White (color match of an old Valspar color). Caulking the trim (there is lots of trim) and painting it Simply White by Benjamin Moore. We will also be painting the built in closet and the freestanding serving counter in Simply White. The ceiling needs a fresh coat of paint too. 

(Update: All of the walls have now been painted and the trim has been caulked. Ron is still working on the trim and has painted one coat on the ceiling.) 


Planning a few changes after the room is all painted.

The freestanding service/storage counter on wheels needs to be cut down. Ron had decided on 6-inch outside walls for the sunroom, but that meant that the counter unit would not fit in the original space. He will remove one-fourth of it and make a new wooden countertop. (A new countertop was planned even before we knew we were going to close in the porch, so we're not sad about that.) 

(Update: Ron has removed the old countertop and will be cutting down the cabinet part this week.)

We are replacing the ceiling fans. There are currently two small fans with lights which we will replace with two slightly larger but lower profile fans without lights. We won't need the fan lights because we are going to hang a chandelier over the table. 

We have purchased new cushions for our wicker loveseat and chairs. We decided not to buy new furniture for the room, but the old cushions were dirty and faded, not to mention the fact that they were too big for the furniture we had. (The cushions were recycled from a set of wicker furniture that we had at the Farmhouse.) We chose a set of navy (so that they would not show dirt easily) Sunbrella® (so they would not fade in the bright sunlight) cushions for the room. 

Pondering a few decisions yet to be made! 

We're shopping for a chandelier. It is possible that we will use the dining room chandelier in the new sunroom and buy a new one for the dining room, but we're still in the decision-making process. We have decided to wait until the room is set up and the furniture is back in place so that we can see what size chandelier would be best and exactly where to hang it. 

We're considering buying a rug from Ruggable for the sunroom. Do you know about Ruggable?  It is a two-piece rug system consisting of a non-slip pad and a cover that can peel off for washing. We are trying to make this room as low maintenance and user friendly as possible. We don't want to have to worry about messes! 

Do any of you have experience with Ruggable rugs? I am all ears for your opinions and pointers! 

So that is where we are. At the very earliest, we are several weeks from completion. And at the very latest . . . well, who knows when that window will come in? I am trying hard to be patient because good things are worth the wait! 

A Long-Awaited Trip

Yes, it was a long-awaited trip . . . a Christmas gift that we gave to Bekah in December 2019, plane tickets to visit Kati who had married and moved away earlier that year.*

Originally planned for March 2020 (and we all know how that turned out). 

Rescheduled for October 2021 (and then our family got a stomach bug). 

Planned for spring break (and then Bekah's school delayed opening in January and cancelled spring break).

So we squeezed in a few days between classes, deciding that a short trip was much better than NO trip (and Bekah's flight voucher expired at the end of March). 

We missed our flight home because of a clerical error on Bekah's boarding pass and Andrew had to drive back to the airport a few hours after he had dropped us off because we couldn't get another flight until the following day. (Silver lining: we had a bonus day to visit!)

Five-sixths of us ended up with colds before the visit was over. 

But . . . I would not have traded these days with Kati and her family for anything! Babies don't keep! 

Merry Christmas (2019), Aunt Bekah! 

You're looking at a happy Gran, holding Caleb (22 months) and Ellie (8 months)!

Caleb is such a sweet boy! He is learning and talking so much . . . and he tries to keep us all straight! He loves to give hugs and kisses and sing lots of verses of "The B-I-B-L-E."
(He calls it "B-I-B-I-B-I" which is absolutely adorable!)

Ellie is one of the happiest, most cuddly babies ever! She smiles all the time, babbles constantly (we all think she'll be a chatterbox when she figures it all out), and is happy to be held and cuddled! 

Knowing that Caleb is a HUGE Paddington Bear fan right now, Gammy (my mom) sent along a special gift for him. Caleb loves "Paa"!

Watching "Paa" while waiting for dinner.

Caleb and I always take a mirror selfie when I visit his house.

(Past mirror selfies)

Taking Gran and Aunt Bekah to the airport (the second time).

Oh, it was so good to hang out with these faraway babies . . . enjoying meals and baths and playtime and stories and snuggles and giggles and songs and bedtime routine . . . the stuff of everyday. Priceless moments to record in our memories. 

♫ "Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise." ♫  

* Just to clarify . . . Bekah was able to visit Kati and family soon after each baby was born via a road trip. But the Christmas gift was airfare, and that trip had not happened until last weekend!

Day by Day

Day turns into day and and then weeks have passed and another month appears. So quickly the months pass, and yet so much can change in a month's time.

(I have created another desktop calendar. Feel free to use it if you'd like. Simply right click on the photo and save to your photo files.)  

At  church on Sunday, we sang "Day by Day." This hymn is filled with strengthening, encouraging thoughts. Several lines stood out to me. 

Like this one . . . 

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

And this . . .

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour

But there is more . . . so I'll post the whole song and you can see what stands out to you!

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

 Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in ev'ry tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

Maybe you'd even like to sing along. 

My heart is moved for the faces and the hearts that lie beneath the politics of war. There is much over which we have no control, so much that we do not understand. I believe that we are wise to let our words be few. 

Do not be rash with your mouth, 

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. 

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

Therefore let your words be few. 

(Ecclesiastes 5:2)

Lord, let our hearts be moved with compassion, moved to pray, moved to meet the needs of people, particularly for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Day by day . . . 

Moments

There are little snippets of time in which a memory is seared into your mind and your heart. 

You wonder, why that one? The thing may not have seemed significant when it happened. There may be hundreds of similar incidents that you do not remember. But for some reason, this particular moment is remembered vividly. 

At church on Sunday, two separate things happened that brought a long-ago moment in time to the front of my memory. 

First, Bekah played the beautiful hymn "He Leadeth Me" on the piano as a call to worship. 

A little later in the service, I looked over at my six-year-old granddaughter Macie and she was lustily singing with the congregation "He Will Hold Me Fast." It moved my heart so much that I had to turn away lest I become a bucket of tears.

And both of those here-and-now moments took me back to a little snippet of time when Kati (now a married woman with two young children) was a small girl, sitting in a ladderback chair in our farmhouse kitchen. She was kind of twisted around in her chair (because in those days she never just sat). I don't remember if anyone else was there with us, but our family was singing "He Leadeth Me" and little Kati (like her niece Macie many years later) was singing lustily in her sweet, clear voice. In that moment, I was so moved and the memory was etched in my heart. 

I am probably the only one who remembers that moment. And yet . . .

Life is made up of moments, one after the other. 

The moments of planting seeds of truth, of living out the Gospel, of lending a hand, of speaking a soft word . . . those moments are seemingly small, but they are vitally important. 

Life is built of small moments. 

On the Calendar

For the past several years, Nora Murphy Country House has offered a free monthly calendar to use as a computer background or lock screen, and I have enjoyed that gift each month. This year, however, there is no monthly calendar available on the website, so I decided to create one for myself. 

Here is February's . . . 

This first full week of February has been "full" indeed! Whew!

A few highlights:

My mom had cataract surgery at the beginning of the week. Everything went well and Mom is seeing a difference already. Truly, the most difficult part of the whole thing (for me anyway) was getting up at o'dark thirty to be at the surgery center at 6:05 am! 

It was my week to teach our ESL class. I am nervous every time, but I love it. It is so rewarding!

I provided taxi service for a grandson to get to work one day. His family is down one vehicle temporarily and there was a scheduling hitch. I am always happy to fill in when I can because it offers some one-on-one time with a grand. 

There was a ladies' brunch at church this morning to kick off another year of reading the Word together. It was a time of sweet fellowship and encouragement. 

Work on the stairwell makeover continued this week. 

The new light is up.

Alas, it looks as if the stairs themselves are going to be more work than anticipated.
There is some sort of adhesive on all but the very bottom tread which will have to be removed before finishing them.

And work on the sunroom has begun! So exciting! 

How has your calendar been? 

House Projects 2022 | Project #2

Last week, I told you about how Ron and I plan projects for the year and I told you all about Project #1. Progress was made over the weekend and, even though it is a long way from being finished, I hear the angels sing every time I walk past! The space has gone from dank and dark to cheerful and bright. It feels like our home. 

There will be more to come on this stairwell makeover. You're probably not hearing those angels sing yet. 😉

But now, I want to tell you about the BIG project we have coming up. 

PROJECT #2: 
SUN PORCH to SUNROOM 

Yes! We're going to close in the sun porch to essentially add another room to our house! 

Now before I begin, I will tell you that we are not going to DIY this project. We decided together that this was something that we did not want to tackle ourselves. 

Since I didn't do a post about our 2021 house goals, you do not know that this was on last year's list. Let's just say that it is more than a notion to get work done these days. On our third try (and with my good friend Barbara's recommendation), we found a contractor . . . but it took most of the year to get to this point!

~ May 2016 ~

We have a lovely sun porch on the back of our house and we have used it like crazy!

We eat meals on the porch when the weather allows. The grands often eat out there when we have family meals, unless there is rain or cold. (Heat does not dissuade them as it does me.) We have had ice cream parties and seafood feasts in the porch. We've even had a few photo sessions! 

When we moved into Pineapple House, there were vinyl windows over the screens. (You can see them in many of the above photos.) These windows kept out dirt and dust, and made the porch slightly warmer in the cold.

We had not been here a month when a grandchild tipped over his chair and tore one of the vinyl panels. Oops. (No shade on the grandchild; these things happen.) Over the years, others were torn while trying to lower or raise a panel. (They were especially brittle during cold.) The windows were somewhat peevish about staying on track too, often requiring a bit of a struggle for those who were trying to get them up or down. And if they weren't securely in their tracks, you could hear them banging in the wind. 

Manzy peeking out of one of the holes in the vinyl

On one particular day, early in the pandemic when we were all still on lockdown, I was struggling with adjusting the windows when all of a sudden I decided that I was not going to wrestle with those stubborn windows any. more. What good were they doing anyway with their multiple holes? They didn't look good and no longer served their purpose. I started pulling them from their tracks and piling them on the counter! Then I remembered that I hadn't asked Ron if he was okay with that, so I went to his office (he was working from home at that point), told him what I was doing, and asked if he had any objection. He didn't. (Or maybe he saw my crazed look and thought it better to let it go!)  

We put the panels in the attic in case we wanted to put them back in, but we never did. No regrets! The porch looks better without them! 

But all of that talk about vinyl windows vs. only screens really has no bearing on why we want to close in the porch.

It really all comes down to how we live in our house. 

• We have a large and growing family! (We love that!)
  
  
• We host holiday meals and birthday celebrations and other gatherings. (We love that too!) 

On a given holiday meal, we could have twenty to twenty-five people, occasionally more. So having another room with a dining table and other seating available consistently  (not just when the weather is right) will be a huge asset for us! 

We can use the extra table for seating or for serving. And the three of us can use the porch for reading or ordinary meals or morning coffee. 

One great thing about our porch is that it is already a structural part of the house. It is on the same foundation and is part of the roof line. That will make our remodel much simpler! 

Pineapple House from the back yard

We have gathered inspiration through drive-bys (although those are from the outside) and through online resources such as Pinterest and Instagram. Here is a sampling . . . 

My favorite inspiration photo!
~ Pin ~

So what are our plans for the remodel? 

We want to keep as much natural light as possible, as well as keep our traditional aesthetic, so we are going to install ten 5-foot double hung windows. We will have double French doors opening to the outside. We will also have a ductless mini-split installed for heating and air. 

We are not sure when the work will begin, but our porch currently looks like this . . . 

. . . so we are eagerly anticipating a new sunroom this spring! I'll keep you posted!