Loving the Change

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I am so  very excited because   Lynn has been  painting on the kitchen  poor things   with  so many interruptions since the first of June.. Painting raw wood cabinets require so much prep...  sanding,   wiping down,  priming,  letting that dry really well, then the   first coat,,,   sanding   wiping   second coat.. letting that dry well.. then  rehanging! When there are  a lot to do  plus,  all of these  interruptions... taking  me to  hospital..( nothing too bad),  a 2 week vacation...  and  various   and sundry  short errands in between....  it seems like it's been forever!

  But I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel...  the  final coat this morning  on  the upper cabinet doors above my desk area...  with the  exception of one door  that  has to be returned because it  was  warped!  Then  he will only have the  crown molding second coat and   the   doors in and out of the kitchen,  but  those may ahve to wait  for a while .

 Then it will be  hanging of the new fan and new lights  AYAYAYAYAY!

We ahve  our  kids coming  Labor day weekend and I want the kitchen looking  all but done by then, surely!!!!!!

I am loving  my granite  counter tops....  so   shiny and    beautiful

so much fun to  actually  decorate   them   and Im much better  about keeping them cleaned off ...yayayaya

 Loving my new  fridge and  dishwasher...   dont know when I will swap out the  range...    but I can live with it a while....  I just want the lights and fan installed  as soon as possible ....

 Besides we are celebrating Birdies 2nd birthday with  our  bestest friends here  in  10 days!!!!!!!!!

 Oh, did I mention the rest of the downstairs  has been and is in a  bit of disarray...   Schotzy  needs to get busy herself!

G is for Girl

                                             

To return to this fun theme... see the  directions here.

                                  G is for Girls.

When we adopted our one and only child I couldnt resist  requesting a little   girl!

We both were thinking  little  tutus and  dancing slippers…   curls and    ruffles….sure my  husband    would have liked a boy to play ball with,  but  in all actuality   he got more   ball and I got much less  ruffles..

 Yes, our little  girl was a  huge  tomboy....  didnt like dolls, couldnt stand cute girlly dresses  and   black patent leather shoes..  She  didnt  make friends easily with little girls on the playground because she was always standing in the kickball line up, and  hankering to get on the soccer team which she did in Middle School.. then it was the tennis team, the volleyball team, and the softball team..All of her doll babies still look brand new which is a good thing because now she has a little 

 girl who really is a little girl!

( Birdie in her tutu )

This has really saved me quite a bit of money as a 

Grandma....

I have plenty of   gently used  ruffly dresses and   

baby dolls too for two little girls.

Which is great because  come December I will  have 

 two little  granddaughters!  And,  especially, I win 

again because  it is wonderful to see my 

baby girl  playing with, I mean being momma

 to her little one!

Exploring the Depths!

Hodge Podge Wednesday  really came around fast for me this week...  I like this  meme because it really makes me think.   
1. It's hard to believe, but next week's Hodgepodge will find us in the month of September. What's one thing you want, need, or hope to do still before summer officially ends?

This one is  very easy.....  our  daughter's family is coming Labor  Day weekend and  the  weather   report   is  showing  hot...  wish it was  a bit milder...  but  we found  daughter's  old  Mickey Mouse  lawn sprayer  in the  garage that still works and  I   hope to see Birdie    play around in her little  bathing suit..   She is  23 months old... and  just such a  delight....  she just got a cast off her leg...   took a topple and had a cast for good measure...and I am hoping the three days she spends with us will be   memorable for her and fun...  Planning to  celebrate her birthday with a cookout....    our biggest  celebration of the summer!

2. When were you last at 'your wit's end'?

That one is easy as well... this has been a summer   where things well planned  flopped miserably...   our trip to the beach house  that I posted  recently is a prime example...  well,  my   ancient old timey  cell phone finally   croaked  so  we were all excited about   purchasing  new  smart phones.We studied and planned  and had our mind set to  get  prepaid phones  that didnt require a particular  contract, because we  were going to use a  T Mobile or Att  pay as you go plan...  and save  a bit of money....  well, we  ordered our phones   .. mind you, no where on the  item  write up  from the   well known online shop   did it mention these were  international phones,   but when they came  mine was  from Czechoslovakia  and  Lynn's was French.. the manuals were as well, or course...  the online  manual  not  that   great....  and,   of course, the  charger  gadgets were  European...besides all that my  battery  was  a dud....  After all the waiting  and trying to figure  out our  foreign phones,  mine just would not  charge  and after  a lengthy time on the phone with customer service...  after all the  planning and excitement and the  waiting not only for the phones but then the  sim cards and everything, we   very gratefully said we would accept  a refund that they offered us,   but   today  our new covers came and  we probably wont  buy this kind of phone  again. so  it is just such a  mess all around.. packing everything back up,  remitting it  and  everything else,     and  now  another long wait and  to tell the truth...  Ive lost interest in a blame phone now!

3. Describe a time you were figuratively thrown into 'the deep end'?

The first  "deep end"  experience I  thought of   besides the time when I was four and a gang of  rough housers actually did push me in the deep end where I almost drowned and have feared swimming ever since......was several years ago at  my work place....we had undergone a lengthy  evaluation of our  school  by the state department and I happened to be chosen as the chairman of the  committee that  evaluated the  administrator.....  now she was  a very  high energy, married to her job kind of   principal who   put   really unrealistic expectations of her staff....  because she had no  personal life she  didnt understand     those of us who did.... In order to  attain to  her  objectives and directives  it meant  many hours spent after work hours  at school.  the morale  had dropped to an all time low...  all in the  name of trying to make our school and our  administration look   top rate  in the state .Well, after  quantifying all the data from teachers, students, and patrons,  we had a lengthy report to    take to the  administrator to share prior to  presenting it to the   evaluation team from the state.   I  actually got thrown under the bus... no one would attend that  meeting with me....  My knees were actually quaking....  but  as it  turned out,   and I know this was  due to   God's intervention,  He gave me  extra grace and to her   extra humility and   the meeting  went very well....    we actually  developed an understanding and appreciation for each other we never would have had otherwise,proving that prayer  really  works in time of  trial!

4. Does the end always, ever, or never justify the means? Explain.
I wrote what I considered to be a very thoughtful piece on this topic and when I shared it with my husband he convinced me that I shouldn't put it online.... not that it was an unlawful act by no means.... but this is a very serious question and one that I mulled over for a long time. To answer it truthfully in my case was to admit a time that 30 years ago I over stepped a line in explaining what I might or might not do in a given situation( I didnt actually lie, but somehow got away with skirting around a direct question)..it was actually a Biblical line that I would adhere to in my actions, but even then to follow this particular Biblical standard was considered by our society to be wrong...and when in fact I knew full well that I would follow my Bible based wisdom on the topic... but,also, knew that if the person I was relating to knew that, it would be very detrimental to us and to others involved. So for the betterment of a situation and how over the years only goodness and blessing has continued because of the blurring of that line , .... such a powerfully positive outcome. I would have to say that sometimes the end does sometimes justify the means... I know this sounds really blurry... as it should..But clearly circumstances dictate these issues!
5. What makes your hair stand on end?

Trying to rewrite and explain question #4.. but more seriously, this morning when I saw on our local news about the horrific shooting of the two news reporters from our hometown and realizing as I saw the victims names and photos, I knew the young man, Adam Ward. I remembered him from second grade. I had taught his older sister and everyone in our school loved this family..... Adam was brilliant, gregarious, always went way beyond the mark in all his school work... IN second grade I remember he built a huge replica of the white House that lit up.... such a senseless loss, and I can not even imagine what his family to going through today! I do ask for prayers for all the victims and the community who was touched by these folks...!


6. I read an article on the website Eat This! Health, that listed 11 foods we can eat to help end bad moods. Basically it's a feed your brain so you're less anxious, grouchy and lethargic. The foods are-mussels, swiss chard, blue potatoes, grass fed beef, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, asparagus, honey, cherry tomatoes, eggs, and coconut. Which of those do you think would most help end your own bad mood? Which do you fear, if forced to eat, would put you into a bad mood?


Great question! My freezer is actually filled with bags of dark chocolate kisses... we were in Hershey, Pa a month ago! heheheheheh! I begin each day with a helping of Greek Yogurt and coffee... which surely should be on this list!!!I am just learning to enjoy mussels, but only in Boston where they are wild caught fresh each day... don't want any from here! Yuck! I am an egg eater, and actually enjoy most all those items... my Grannie was a huge fan of Swiss chard... don't think I've had that one. but would probably like to try it. Now "BLUE" potatoes sound pretty awful.. I'M not a proponent of blue food. anything that turns my tongue blue I try to stay away from. I think Blue potatoes would prob have to be forced on me and I probably wouldn't want to be in good company thereafter for a while... just sayin'!
7. What project around your home, office, or life in general feels like there is 'no endin sight'? 


Have you been reading my blog... obviously it is getting our kitchen cabinets painted! Enough said on that one!
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Sometimes one can spend too much of a day on a post... time to just say God bless until next week!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Return to     The Diary of The Stay At Home Mom here!
On the weather front:
It is  80 degrees now at 8pm with an expected low of 61.  I   am
loving seeing the  gradual   drop in temps each week!!!

On my bedside table:

Prayer Altars,  by John Mulinde

Set Apart for God, by  Derek Prince

On my TV:

Last night I watched the Jesse Stone marathon...

On the menu for tonight:

chicken salad

The week ahead:~
We are replacing  old worn out  cell  phones, 
~Face time with our kids
~Game day  with our Sunday School class... I'm taking the
   yummy cake I posted last week
~Sitting a  friend while his wife  undergoes  serious  surgery

On my To Do List:
~laundry
~mopping
~dusting

New Recipe I tried last week:
Chicken Stir-Fry  from Allrecipes.com





Submitted By: Katie Sechrist
Photo By: Empress of Sorrow

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 6
"
INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts,
drained
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
1 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender, and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and corn starch in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Mix ginger, garlic, and red pepper into sauce; coat chicken with marinade and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir bell pepper, water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots, and onion until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet and keep warm.
4. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving liquid. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chicken until slightly pink on the inside, about 2 minutes per side; return vegetables and reserved marinade to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve over rice.

Looking forward to:
Our  children who are coming  in a week and a half    YAYAYAYAYA!
 Planning   and prepping for their visit...
want it to be fun at Ga Ga's house!

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Just like packing to go   out of the country...  when I look at my  junk closet.. yes I have one and    I  am giving it up for  more  bathroom space....  clear it  out by half  one week,  then clear it out by half the next week..  then   keep only about  1/4 of  what you  have  after  a few weeks   and find a new place to put it  unless you've decided  you can just throw  that  1/4 away too, now! Junk isn't that important!

Favorite photo from last week:

Sweetie pie got her cast off today  and   she   is so happy!





















Lesson learned the past few days:
All good things come to those who wait!


On my Prayer List:
family,  church, friends,  our city,  our nation, 
Israel,  or  government

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation
Psalm Of David.

27 

 The Lord is my light and my isalvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me

to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and foes,

it is they who stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;

be gracious to me and answer me!

8 You have said, “Seek my face.”

My heart says to you,

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

9 Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will take me in.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,

and lead me on ba level path

because of my enemies.

12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

14 hWait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

One Room is Finished!

We started  out in May with  a purpose  and aim to   finally  take on the renovation projects  we  wanted  on our lower level English Tudor   home with its  small  spaces and  need  for updating...My  daughter  convinced me that   wide open spaces  were  soon  going  by the wayside  because  at some time  folks just dont want  a messy kitchen  full of  dirty dishes  to   be  within  sight of a  nice family room...  and besides,  our family loves having their own quiet  private  spaces to  veg out in....read a book, or watch the race or game on tv...So the  aim was to update the space we have and   try to bring it into the 21st century.The  beautiful sunroom   was  one of the main selling points to  us buying this home with its cherry wood panelling... it may not appeal to younger buyers,  but we understand its value and  love its warmth.

My favorite season    to  enjoy   out there is  autumn...  because  in summer, it is just too hot, and  unless we  turn on the expensive electric heat out there,  it is  really cold!  

But an autumn view is   lovely!

But  a room   over  the years  can really   becoming   too much...  soo many  collectibles trying to crowd in and find  a space to shine...  It was looking more and more like  Grannie's  house!

  

A  winter's view is   divine as well.... 

but  the rest of the year,  we  suffer   extreme  heat and cold in that space...and as we are getting older,   and  the everyday view outside  isn't  as  engaging  as it  once was to us...  we decided to make a change.

 So we moved  everything out and piled the furniture in the middle of the room.

 I am loving my new  wooden   2.5 inch blinds  so  sharp looking....   they let the view in when I want  view

 Or I can  close them down some for a  bit of privacy and to protect the furnishings  from the   brights sun's rays...

 I  have been  much more  discriminating about what to  put back in that room!!!Loving that!

And at night I will feel  like sitting out there  and not  feel  totally exposed to the neighbors...

I am hoping it will keep   some of the heat out and  some of the warmth in  during various seasons...  and make the room that much more enjoyable!  So there is my first room all done!!!

 I am sharing on Metamophosis Monday and  Before and After Wednesday

One Thousand Gifts (744-754) Eucharisteo

                                                   
Ann Voskamp introduced us to    the daily habit of    finding the joy  all around us   in her book, 1000 Gifts. On her website she encourages   taking part in the Joy Dare    and your  can find everything you need to know here!Here is my Joy Dare for  the fourth  week of August with Ann Voskamp! 
                                                                                   


 744.  I am so thankful  for  our   brothers and sisters in Christ in our local church
                                  
 745.  Our  Sunday School class  is    growing by leaps and bounds because  we  do have  an amazing teacher,  and we love  one another....  we  serve  one another  in times of trouble and  we play together   regularly...   this month  we    will have game  afternoon  at  Diane and Paul's house... where we eat, play Mexican Train

 or just  sit on their   fabulous deck and  chat   and nibble.  Other times we go to   out for  dinner and a play, or a ball game...   Church  is and  should be about   the family   of God   coming together, and  that is  just  who we are!!!

746.  I love our church just the way it  looks... and is....  It is very traditional and   a  lovely   building...We have  an organ and a choir,  and  after  12 years of   church    in  a HS  auditorium and then a  make shift  metal  warehouse of a building with a !!!!loud!!! teen  band....   my husband and I decided  at our  age  we much  preferred  traditional  services...

                                                                              
747.  I  am thankful   for blogging..  and just being able to sit   here at the  computer and   share my   thoughts and life in this  journal   of days.... it is a   huge blessing to me.

748.  Sitting down together   as a family  for dinner....   holding hands to say grace, and  the  sharing at the dinner table  is   especially   important in our family!
                                 

749.  This  coming week I have  a golden opportunity to serve....   one of my dearest friends is going into the hospital  and  we   plan to go  by and  join her husband in the waiting room....  and  to take  dinners  for their family!

750.  As  chairman of the Benevolent committee  at our church I    have helped plan  month projects of collecting  items  for the  poor,   food and clothing,  school supplies for the needy.

                                                         
751.  Just today  I  designed and   out up  two bulletin boards in the church to  advertise our September project of collecting  gently worn coats, blankets, and  collapsible umbrellas  for   an intercity church that  is mainly   made up of  recent refugees who  arrive here   weekly...God is bringing the lost and needy right to our door, and we are honored to be able to  demonstrate the love of Christ to them  through  mercy and  meeting their needs!

752. I dont know if anyone saw this on facebook today,  but   it  was   truly   awesome... God's is the   Master  of  creation!!! It took my breath away!
                                 
753.The ripples of light  across the clouds  is another  touch of the Master's hand!
                                 
754.The fading light of  a soft summer's  dusk!

                                

A Late Summer's Eve

I am sharing  on Pink Saturday  found   at   Beverly's   blog, How Sweet the Sound!  Today is anything goes Saturday.
                                   
 and ever so slowly  the house is  moving  closer and closer to  Autumn.  I  just   think  fall is   the most "Charming'"month,, as  this sign  says, "Steeped in Charm". I dont know why,  but  in my  decorating sensibilities  I just think  if you  throw in a sunflower,  you  are advancing that much closer to autumn...  even  if the  calendar  belies the thought!Now I can  remember in the  past  I dreaded fall  with a passion...    school dayz  and all that  craze!  Juggling about 20 balls and  getting them and keeping them all in the air at once was what  kept my  brain  and   body in  a  tizzy!  But now  I  can kick back  and really look foward to   the  gentle   cool down  of   Fall   with out the  inevitable "meltdown'  of my  temperment!

Now here is a simple design     that   gradually   moves the room  from the  dog dayz of summer to the  expectation of  autumn's  glory...  just by adding a couple of sunflowers!

and even as  jsut ever so  infrequently  you might  find a falling leaf on the ground as  the  days     become shorter, the sun  moving lower on the horizon....  if I   place  a  silk   fall leaf or two in a summer   arrangement I  so enjoy just that  subtle hint that  fall is  on its way!

 of just a few leaves    placed here and there...

Thinking about "steeping"  I've put myself in the mood for a  nice cup of  pumpkin spice tea....  a nice  way to end  a very pleasant  late summer's day....  

  well, I can  fair imagine  it, can't it!

Some Irish Blues

  Linking with  

Anything Blue Friday.

This morning, I am    longing for  the memories we made in April when we toured Ireland...

 The   allure of King John's Castle on the banks of  River Shannon in Limerick.

The stalwart  mass of the  fortress   juxtaposed  beside the gentle curves of the  stone  bridge..

against and reflected in the   delicate blue  sky and waters! and  

 The  husband   taking aim  at the  great Atlantic way  along the Kerry coastline.. the  rolling  range of mountains  silhouetted  against  a  deeper  blue.

And then  hubby carefully  climbing    to the crest of  the   unique  rock formations of the  Giant's causeway  north of  Belfast....  The  April  tides  crashing on the  other side  of this  northern coast.. 

all under  a  blue-gray  environment of  mist and spray!

                                                   

F is for Finally

                                         

To return to this fun theme... see the  directions here.

F is for 

 

It seems my life  for the past  few months has been in a holding pattern...  partly   in a state of   mental and physical   dread, and partly in  an  expectant joy....  those  two  in constant  conflict...   but   finally,  things  have  come to fruition!

About   six months ago, I  made for  better or worse, the  decision to take myself off of  Nexium.. a drug that I had   been on for over  12 years and   I was feeling that    it was   causing me some  serious side effects. My  family doctor agreed and   told me a few  things to do in its place... but nothing over the counter  helped...so I  spent  hundreds of dollars  at Nature's Outlet  buying  all kinds of enzymes and supplements  that   seemed to mask  symptoms, but the  pain and   difficulty swallowing   recurred... it was a roller coaster of   feeling better then  feeling much worse!

I went to  the  ENT doctor who  originally  put me on the  drug, but  was told  I should  just see  a gastroenterologist...

Not exactly  what I wanted to hear.....  I was flooded with images of the last time  when I woke up  in the middle of my esophageal  dilation...at that moment  things started going downhill...  my original    G.I. Dr.  had retired and  a new one was sure to  expect another  procedure!

dread.....fear.... clinked  teeth....  gnawing  insides....  

You know it isn't  that  bad,  but  internally,   the body just  rejects the whole thing, and revolts!

So that goes on for six months only to be  intensified  when the   Dr  says,  well,you should never have stopped a medication that was working for you..  With all that  roller coaster  treatments   you  may very well have become ulcerated  with precancerous  lesions! We will need to  go in and take a look!

And then, on the other hand:

We have lived in this house  for 27 years....  and  finally we have the  resources to make  the improvements  to  the kitchen and bathroom that we have  always wanted to do...

 

So here is Lynn   working  over the dishes    last  year after  a dinner party  one Sunday afternoon... kitchen is  very vintage 1930's  English Tudor  ~  in need of   a major overhaul! 

So in May we  met with our  contractors  who  worked on giving us   updated cabinets  to  fit our  base   cabinet structure...  but also   others were  reconfigured to give us more  than those two  pitiful drawers , plus  the  facing wall behind Lynn  was  without any cabinetry. and that was  completely reworked!  By   late June the cabinets were installed and by  middle   July the granite  was  in place.. then we went on a much needed 2 week vacation...  mind you my  whole downstairs was in disarray.....

So  then it was August... and Lynn started  painting the cabinets....

 by now I  am  rather

  but expectant!  Boy, have I ever been expectant!

Finally,  today was the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning at 8:30 I had my procedure.. it took all of 20 minutes and  I literally  didnt  ever  actually know  when I  went under,  I was remembering  just saying,  "you mean it's over!?!" I promised I wouldnt post the photos, but  it went  wonderfully! 

  Yeah, I still have to be on Nexium, forever!  Because, it keeps me  well! OK, I get that and Im  great with it!    FANTASTIC!

No more dread... fear,  and hopefully  clinched teeth...!

 And...

here is my new kitchen..

lookin good,  yea?

well,  yeah,  a little  blue tape  still to be removed....

oh, and the  other wall  needs a bit of fixing!

 The  doors  still  lie in wait on the dining table!

But finally still    sounds  pretty  daggone good ....  the important things  are  finally  resolved and  I can  be  a little more patient..  maybe  by the time we get to P    I won't have to  write about patient,  but   maybe,  finally, pleased as punch!