'Stay-cation'

My husband leaves today for his last overnight business trip E.V.E.R. After 32 years of them, today is the last one. He and his replacement are headed to Virginia to check out a few things, probably eat something really fattening involving beef at Applebees (he always eats at Applebees when he travels apart from me) and spend the ten hours on the road talking over transferring the position from him to the new guy.

For the past three years, while he traveled, and while my daughter and her family lived here, when he was away I stayed home and did projects. Or was lazy and unproductive but attempted to do projects. It somehow never occurred to me to go stay with Leslie and her family and play. Not that I'm ever, ever scared of being alone - I enjoy a large swath of personal space and time. If I was ever going to be scared of being alone, when I was 17 years old and moved out on my own into a really questionable part of town - that's when I should have been scared, but didn't have the sense to be. So why bother now? If nobody broke in and abducted or maimed me then, it's likely not going to happen now.

So the idea just hit me last week, when I heard about this last trip that I could invite myself to their place for 'stay-cation'. So I did, and they said yes, and that's where I am now.

Here's what we're busy doing - playing in the snow, because we certainly have an abundance of it; making homemade waffles and omelets for my son-in-law; watching Julie and Julia (first time for Leslie, 4th for me) because it's about getting published and she needs inspiration to keep pushing to get published; knitting a sweater; sewing window treatments; watching the Olympics a little; watching American Idol a lot; enjoying the smell of a fresh-from-sleep bed-head kid in the early mornings; reading books; playing Candyland and Hungry Hippo and Hi-Ho-Cherrio. Great stuff.

Stay-cation - such a great idea, I wish I'd thought of it sooner. Are you stuck inside with all this wintry weather? Maybe you need to invite yourself somewhere, or invite someone else to come join you.

And a P.S. Happy Birthday to my oh-so-sweet daughter, Sarah. Wish we could spend it together, and next year, by golly, we will! Maybe next year Dad and I will invite ourselves for 'stay-cation' at your place! I'll show up with a birthday cake, guacamole and chips, and my knitting needles - you can give Dad some jobs to make him feel handy, and we'll have a blast together. How about that?

The Power of Half

Have you heard of the family who gave away half? Kevin Salwen, a writer and entrepreneur in Atlanta, was driving with his 14 year old daughter. They pulled up between a Mercedes and a person begging for food, and she commented to her father that if the person who owned the car would have settled with a little less car, the homeless person might have a meal.....

Back home, her mother charged her with the ridiculous question, 'what do you want to do, sell our home?' And they did. And they gave away half the money, downsizing to a perfectly fine house with the other half. And now they do weird things like play board games and talk and eat dinner together because they're in that smaller house 'stuck together'. They said they traded 'stuff' for togetherness and connectedness. Mr. Salwen said, 'I can't figure out why everybody wouldn't want that deal.'

The first time I read about this, a week or so ago, it didn't go anywhere beyond that. Then I saw it again, in this morning's paper. When God puts something in front of my face over and over, so that I can't ignore it, our pastor calls it 'God's echos'. He said we tend to make figuring out 'God's will' for our lives complicated; sometimes all we need to do is listen for repeats or echos.

This newspaper article not only shared the story of the house that was sold, it went on to say that the family who bought the larger house pledged $100,000 to charity. Which charity isn't the point; there are plenty of good ones if you look with an eye even half open. This second article challenged US, ME, whoever was reading, by saying this:

'Everyone has too much of something, whether it's time or talent or treasure. Everyone does have their own half, you just have to find it.' So that put me to thinking, what do I have too much of?

After telling Don the story of the Salwens, he agreed and we're going to give away half of our grocery money for the month of February. We need to eat from what's in the freezer and on the shelves because we're moving 1200 miles south soon, and like many Americans we have plenty in the pantry if we're just a little bit creative. Our 'half' will be the grocery money we won't be using; it'll be given to our local food pantry, and I'd probably be ashamed to know how many people it will feed, rather than just the two of us.


1 in 50 children in America are homeless. Read this article if your heart needs a little more nudging to do something. I could be wrong but I'm betting homeless means often going to bed hungry. I can't imagine any of my grandkids going to bed hungry. Giving away half our grocery money won't affect our grandkids, they'll all go to bed full anyway (unless they act up at the dinner table) but it could send someone else's grandchild to bed with a full tummy, rather than an empty one.

Thinking about this 'half' stuff, I could give away half my pajama pants, or sweaters, or shoes. Or half my time for even one day a week volunteering somewhere. I could give away half my money spent on drive through coffee for a month, or movie rental money, or half of my bathroom towels. The list really is endless. If I got really radical, maybe I could give up half my complaining for a day - even that would make our world a better place.

What's your 'half'?

A Last Blast of Color

Half a mile from our little condo. I'm thinking the Canadian Geese aren't going anywhere. The leaves however, they're definitely on the way out, but can you even stand how gorgeous fall can be?

(Less) Stinky Business

So I was shopping at the mark down table at the workout center where I go, and saw something called "Royal Flush", then another item called "Poo-Pourri".

You can go here to read all about it, but I have to tell you, I bought both. The 'Poo-Pourri' is in my bathroom, and can I delicately say that it works pretty well.....

The 'Royal Flush' is in the gift box, waiting for hubby's Christmas stocking. When I told him about it, he thought it was a fantastic idea. Only a man would like a can of bathroom odor eliminator in his stocking. It is a bit pricey if you pay full price. I got it for 40% off, but then if it works then it's worth it I think. I imagine it would be great to tuck into a diaper bag too, for spritzing the area right before you change a particularly bad blow out diaper. Or for keeping on hand when you have everyone over for the annual chili cookoff.

So it does work. And that's all I have to say about it. Except that with this stuff around, we can stop saying to each other, 'you might not want to go in there for a bit.'

Saturday Stitchers - Passing it On

Guess what I'm doing this morning? This:

'Saturday Stitchers': Starting this morning I'm going to be meeting with a group of 10 young women, teaching them to sew. My middle daughter, Leslie recently asked me if I would be willing to teach some of her friends the basics of sewing while I still live here. When I agreed, she sent out this evite, and within a week or so 9 women signed up to join us. For this last six months of living here, rather than do a traditional Bible study I'm taking on this ministry to younger women in our church. I personally think it's right in line with the Titus 2 mandate for older women to teach the younger ones... Can't you just picture it, those Titus women sitting around with buttons and needles and thread, showing the women how to start with a secure knot, then take tiny stitches in and out.

I started sewing when I was 7 years old, making a skirt for my beloved Barbie doll. Using the Childcraft 'Make and Do' book, I cut out a circle, with a slit up one side, a circle cut out of the middle, then running a threaded needle in and out of the fabric to gather the waist. After I'd done a bit of that my Mom let me use her black Singer, when my feet likely barely reached the pedal. Likely I messed up the tension, needed some help with threading it, etc. so thank you, Mom, for being patient with me 45 years ago. I'm sew, sew excited to pass this art on to another generation of women!

We're starting this Saturday, with a meet and greet at a local coffee shop then heading to the fabric store. Apparently when you don't sew, a fabric store can be intimidating and a bit mysterious. So we're spending an hour at Joann Fabric, looking around. I'm also planning to show them the three projects we have lined up, and talk over what all is planned in our six sessions together.

For five Saturday mornings between now and Christmas we're going to be meeting together, learning how to run a sewing machine, sew straight lines, thread a needle (some have never done so!), sew on a button (ditto!), identify sewing tools, learn about different types of fabric, and have fun. We're going to be using a book by Amanda Blake Soule called Handmade Home.

Her byline is "simple ways to repurpose old materials into new family treasures". Along that line I've been to the local Goodwill and several garage sales and found yards of fabric and 100% wool blazers and sweaters just waiting to be felted.

We're going to start with making the "Family Art Table Runner" on page 35 of the book, for their Thanksgiving tables. I found some great old linens and a fabric shower curtain that will work well for this.

Next we're making 'Family Sweater Hats', from felted wool (the wool blazers), on page 137. I think they'll make great Christmas gifts and once the girls see how much fun it is to felt wool they should be off to the races, making all sorts of fun gifts. I'm envisioning purses, a tea cozy, tree ornaments - the possibilities are endless.

Last we're making a 'Mama Bag' (seamstresses will provide the fabric for this project) for them to keep or give away (page 121 of the book.)

Hopefully this non-traditional approach to teaching sewing will instill enough interest in some of them that they'll take that 'I can do it' attitude and run with it. Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to find some time in January for anyone who wants to learn the traditional method of purchasing a pattern, choosing fabric, and sewing it up into pajama pants. After doing this with my oldest daughter, Sarah (we made a nightgown for her daughter) she was able to sew just about anything she wanted, and has been sewing for her home and family ever since!

It's super encouraging to me that so many young moms showed interest in what I feared would become a lost art. Good for Amanda Blake Soule for taking a fresh, inexpensive, earth-friendly approach to sewing, and to my daughter, Leslie for putting together a group of her friends, so we can continue to pass this great art on to another generation. I'll take photos as we go to share the fun I know we're going to have.

Along the same line, what skill do you have that you might share? Is it sewing, or cooking, or baking, or knitting, or crocheting, or decorating or or or ? It's such a great way to learn anything, by the side of someone who already knows how. Just a thought...

Play Nice and Act Like a Lady....

My girls have heard this so many times, it rolls off their tongues with ease. I don't know where I came up with it, but anytime they'd leave home for an event, it would be my last words to them as they were slipping out the door.

I think it's still good advice. So when I saw this book at the airport, waiting to catch my plane, I grabbed it. I don't know a thing about the authors, but I'm enjoying it.

Here's their list - a Lady DOES:

Arrive on time
Send thank you notes and emails
Know the difference between assertive and rude
Make the first move
Laugh at herself
Know how to party and also how to throw a great one
Reduce, reuse, and recycle
Stay true to herself
Set an example for others
Know how and when to flirt
Have style

And a Lady DOESN'T:

Stay silent when someone is being hurtful
Curse in front of children
Betray a friend's or partner's trust
Groom at the table
Play the 'helpless damsel' (since she's not one)
Gossip
Lose her cool or scream
Take herself too seriously
Date her friend's ex
Think the world revolves around her
Sell herself short

Written by Noelle Cleary and Dini Von Mueffling, described as 'the revolutionary guide to living your life with grace, brains, fearlessness and style'. Good stuff so far. I bought it at the airport but you can likely find it at any bookstore, or Amazon, where I buy books when I'm not waiting on airplanes.

'Play nice and act like a lady' - I think it's still valid advice, whether we're staying inside our home with those who may not have much of a choice about spending the day with us, or if we've sprayed on our most expensive cologne and are heading out to see the town. Just my take on it, for what it's worth.

Get Out of Bed, You Sleepyhead!

Or you'll miss the show....

7:01 am.

Retrieve the newspaper in bare feet (the driveway is C.O.L.D. in October!)
Hurry everybody, it's getting away!
Good morning world! Another day is started, with this gorgeous sunrise fading into a blip in time. I'm so glad I jumped out of bed instead of being a sleepy head, which was mighty tempting. The smell of brewed coffee didn't hurt the cause.

Do you ever wonder what the skies will look like when He returns? Stormy and fierce? Sunlight so bright you can't hold your eyes open? Big puffy white clouds against a brilliant blue background, or will it be full of streaks of red and orange and pink, with the sun just waking up? Mornings like this always make me wonder.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Luke 21:27

Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. Acts 1:11

Oh Fall - I Love You So!

Fall, how I love you. Don't tell anyone else, but you're my favorite. Winter, you can't make me love you, I've tried. Not happening. You're just a bit too cold and standoffish for me.

As soon as the calendar turns to September I'm off and running with hunting up pumpkins and gourds and turning leaves and such. I'm quite aware you don't really show yourself til September 21, but you won't find me waiting that long, and I'll keep reminders of you here as late as I can too - living in denial til enough snow falls that it's ridiculous to have anything but snowmen and ice skates and such out. Even then I'll make a fool of myself, begging you to stay just a little bit longer.

To let you know how happy I am yucky August is behind us, I grabbed a few new fallish things. They'll make our place seem homey and let you know we're good and ready for you to stick around awhile!

Have to have a mum or two. I chose two. Of course the patio isn't really big enough for more than that anyway! I was impatient to throw out the bedraggled impatiens anyway, and the sweet potato vine was looking pretty pitiful. At $7 each, mums were a great deal, and maybe I can plant them in Leslie's yard before the ground freezes.

Sarah has had one of these for years, and I've been coveting it about that long, so I got all uppity and bought one myself. I absolutely love the way the morning sun looks running in and out of the metal sides, and hitting the little berries.

And all I need to make this perfect is one ginormous squirrel - he'd surely have fun trying to carry this off in his mouth!

Thought-Provoking Stuff From Barnes & Noble

I found these at Barnes and Noble last night. Not in the mood (or need) for more books, so I shuffled over to the end wall where the journals and such are displayed. Magnets for the refrigerator - fantastic stuff for $4.99 each. Much better than the one with the pizza delivery # on it!

I'm thinking early 40's. My daughter, Leslie, who is 28, said she thought she'd be 28! How about you?

And I really, really loved this one:

That Eleanor was a wise woman. Hmmm..... what will I do today that scares me just a little? If I don't come up with anything else, I could go looking for a cricket to pet.

Neighborly Goodness

We've only known our next door neighbors, Al and Pat, for two months, but this was delivered to our door a few days ago.

It made for a supper of fresh corn off the cob, sliced tomatoes and cucumber salad - no idea what to do with those peppers though - they're hot and I'm scared of hot peppers! Don't you love this time of year, when everything is coming in from the garden?

More than that, if you're like us and don't have a garden this year, don't you love those who planted 100 tomatoes, 10 hills of cucumbers, too many zucchini (that's anything more than 1!), and feel the need to share the goodness?!

A Jumble of Mixed Feelings

Our little condo has a garage, for normal sized vehicles, so we don't park in it. I did get our enormous Durango in once, with the mirrors flipped in (rather than break them off which was an absolute possibility.) We just decided we don't really need to park in the garage for the next several seasons. So the garage has shelves lining its walls, with luggage and sewing projects and gifts for upcoming birthdays and holidays, and also two shelves of food - boxes of corn muffin mix, and saltines and soup and cookie mix and trash bags. Have I mentioned our kitchen is a tad bit small?

So we go to the garage on a regular basis, just never to park the car or drive it out. I'd noticed a few nights ago that there was water trickling in from the back corner of the garage and because this is Pennsylvania I just thought, 'oh they have a bit of a wet basement issue'. Pretty much everyone in Pennsylvania has a bit of water coming into their house at some spot or another. The hardware stores around here do a hefty business of selling dehumidifiers and sump pumps, and we learn to live with a bit of wet too.

I mentioned the little trickle to Don, and told him I guessed the recent rain had come in just a bit. Two nights later, after I'd run the dishwasher because we'd run out of dishes to eat on, he went down to the garage to take out the trash.

The little trickle had turned into a small creek, running from one corner to the other end. Apparently the hot water heater is going out. So we called our landlord, who is a realtor handling rentals for the young couple who owns this place. They bought it, had a baby and she went to grad school, then when she graduated and got a good job offer they knew it wasn't the best market for selling it, so they rented it to us instead.

Mixed feelings: calling our landlord, who happens to be in the Dominican Republic on his honeymoon; knowing this young couple has to fork over somewhere around $1,000 to have a new hot water heater installed; knowing we just rent this place and it's not going to cost us a single red dime.

Cranking it Down to a Slow Busy

I've been home almost two weeks. My back is immensely better. The condo is starting to feel homey, and we're settling in. We're learning how to crank it down to a slow busy rather than the frantic pace we were living at.

This past week I: met a girlfriend for a 2 1/2 hour cup of coffee, went to Chuckie Cheese with my daughter and grandson, enjoyed blizzards in the evening with family, went to a local Farmer's Market and bought oodles of fresh veggies and fruits, sat and talked with a 3 year old on a bench by a pond, watched baby birds getting ready to fly out of the nest right outside our front door, read in the tub, cleaned our condo here and there, bought a new computer and camera, and went on a hot date with my husband.

Hard to say what my favorite event was, they were all so wonderful.

So this week it's paperwork, phone calls, begin 3 x a week of pilates (to strenghten my back), invite several friends to meet for dinner, meet another girlfriend for coffee, play with our grandson for a morning to give his mama some time to catch up on work, cook those fresh veggies we bought, and take my first Mac class. And play Farmtown. And call my parents and two of my brothers, and book a trip to Mexico this fall. And read and knit baby booties. And invite my new next door neighbor to walk around the neighborhood, and meet with our financial planner, and clean the garage (still a horrid mess) and clean the fish aquarium.

It's hard to say what I'm looking most forward to this week either, most of it sounds wonderful too (not so much the garage).

Here are a few photos to share of what we've been up to (if I can figure out how to load them from our new camera and new Mac...):

My new favorite coffee cup. Can you read the caption... (the dog is saying, 'oh please, oh please...'). Cracking up is a great way to start any day.

Peach pie baked from freshly picked peaches - good enough to call supper all by itself!

Papa and Landon watching Little Bear when he came to visit this week. Hard to say who is more engrossed... rocky road ice cream to go with doesn't hurt! Look at him, don't you just want to squeeze the living daylights out of him? Me too. (That applies to either or both.)

A dinner celebration - just the two of us. We ate at one of our favorite places in Pittsburgh - the Georgetown Inn. It looks over the entire city, and they gave us a table right next to the window. The view was gorgeous. I told Don it's the first time I've worn pantyhose in at least 6 months!

One of three baby robins in its nest right outside our front door. One fell from the nest earlier this week and I almost jumped out of my skin when I opened the door and it was sitting 6" from me. I was so afraid it was going to hop inside and the parents were swooping and squawking. With our new camera's zoom, I was able to get a close look without upsetting its parents. I think worms must be pretty fattening; they've double in size in the past two weeks since I got home, and surely won't be in that little nest much longer.

Happy Week everyone - mine looks to be wonderful. Hope yours is too. I've gotten around to reading a few blogs out there but am still really behind. Hopefully I can do some catching up this week. I've missed reading all the goodness out there.

PS We find out the sex of our newest grandbaby this Friday. I'll tell you all the minute we hear.

Sliding into Home, Literally

Years ago my husband and I were at a company picnic, when a game of softball started.

I don't have an athletic bone in my body. I decided to play anyway. When I surprised myself by actually hitting the ball, I got so excited I ran toward first base, and seeing that I might not make it, I slid with all I had. Trashed the fabric of my shorts and the skin on my knee cap before I realized everyone was laughing at me. Apparently you overrun first base, you don't slide into it.

That's great for softball, but not so much for life.

I'm home - home sweet home, such as it is. A two bedroom condo, with a teensy little kitchen and a deck that barely holds the two of us for an evening glass of wine, watching life roll by literally. The highway is a stone's throw away, so we sit and listen to the sound of tires flying by, as everyone hurries home, sipping our wine and talking over the day. Or at least that's what we've done a few times, and that's our plan til it gets too cool here to sit outside. Just slide.

Getting home after an extended trip away, I find myself in the mood to cook, and bake, and sew and read and all those other snuggly, settle-into-your-nest kind of activities. Today, my first day home, I stopped at the grocery and picked up: fresh salmon, tilapia, canned crab, some juicy peaches and bing cherries, and then a slew of fresh veggies to stir fry. My copy of The New Moosewood Cookbook arrived while I was gone, and I'm thinking tomorrow may include an extended cup of coffee on that deck, looking over recipes, then slide into that little kitchen of ours and see what I can whip up.

Did I mention before that I also have the Martha Cookie Cookbook, and I'm really, really in the mood to bake cookies. I'm thinking one batch a week, different each week of course. Nothing to make the place feel homey like being busy in the kitchen.

Slidin' into home - no overrunning bases for me for awhile.

PS Our family doctor prescribed muscle relaxants for the pulled muscle(s) in my back and warned me they might make me sleepy. I told him I'm quite happy to do some sleeping for awhile too. Cook, bake cookies, take naps - what's not to love about that? And since it's all of 75 - 80 degrees here, it sounds like just the ticket to me. Stay tuned for some yummy recipes :-)

Enjoying Right Now Right Now...

"Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His."
H. E. Manning


For today, I'm enjoying this very first clematis blossom. As for the rest of those masses of buds - they'll open in their own time, with no fussing on my part!

The Smell of Lilacs

They're blooming finally, and I'm soaking up the smell, for one more summer.

They don't sell a bouquet of flowers that I enjoy as much as something cut from the yard and brought indoors to enjoy.

Here we Go Again....

A showing this afternoon, so we're at it again.

The entry was still declaring "He is Risen" - time to find something less season-specific. Hmmmm, not flowers, and a plant isn't quite right either. Family photos are a no no, of course, when your home is on the market, so...

I settled on this:

What you can't see is how good the hazelnut candles smell, and the asian grass one isn't bad either! I like the contrast of the short candles next to the tall lamp, the old fashioned embroidered dresser scarf with the more modern candles and rocks filling.

Staging the house for each showing is much easier with a check off list. No worrying about forgetting a thing, just check, check, check and scurry out the door!

Any Day Now....

They should be back. Last year they showed up on May 1, and within fifteen minutes of putting out the nectar they were back, taking a sip. They were probably a bit thirsty from that long flight...

This year I'm ready for them. Can't wait to see my little buddies again.

Cleaning up and leaving behind

I slept til the sun woke me up, to get ready for this day. Next a hearty breakfast - something along the line of 'breakfast of champions'. I still remember my Dad eating a bowl of wheaties every morning, before he headed out to his job delivering mail, and somehow it still speaks to me of shoring up against the day ahead.

Today is day one of 'get the yard into shape'. It has little to do with putting the house on the market, except that we're tackling it a few weeks earlier than usual, which means we'll wear hoodies and jeans versus shorts and t-shirts.

We'll take the hoses from the shed, unwind them and hook them up. Drag out the wheel barrel and rakes and gardening tools, including my ratty green kneepad that has had much use. Those leaves have been hiding all winter long, gathered together around the legs of the porch furniture. There's strength in numbers - too many of them to bother with through the winter, and now here they are still hanging around the front porch. Their mother tree was actually cut down late last fall, and is long gone but still they remain. Today they're mine.

I caught a glimpse of the clematis beginning to curl up the porch railing yesterday, out of a nest of these same dead brown leaves, and I'm looking forward to watching them daily, as they seem to grow by leaps and bounds. Within just a few weeks they'll make it to the top of the railing. There's something very springish about clematis climbing up the porch railing.

Daffodils are poking up their heads in the cluttered beds out front. They're hard to see for all the dead foliage left behind from last falls mums and those grasses we planted. By the end of the day they'll be standing straight and proud, just about ready to open up and shout about spring's arrival. The lambs ear looks dreadful, covered up in a layer of last year's dead leaves, but underneath there will be new growth, soft and fuzzy, just waiting for me to expose it to the sunshine.

A few of the shrubs aren't going to make it I fear. The white rhododendron is not long for this world, and so I'll make a trip to the local nursery to buy a replacement. I've wished many times I'd waited for a pink one to be available, and so I'll do that this time, even if it means driving around a bit. I think the next owners would enjoy a bit of pink there. I moved the hydrangea last fall, to a better spot, and it's move has left behind a big, empty spot in the corner by the fence. Not sure what to tuck there, but something that will look cheery. I'm considering a patch of strawberries. It would be nice to have strawberries so near the back door, ready to toss into a bowl of spring greens with some mandarin oranges and call it good. Not that they really stand much of a chance against the birds. I suspect the birds will get far more berries than whoever buys this house.

By the end of the day tomorrow we'll be dirty and tired and sore. As a completion of our annual ritual, we'll fire up the grill and throw on some burgers, add store-bought potato salad and baked beans and eat our dinner feeling good about working hard and accomplishing so much. There really is nothing as rewarding as seeing the work of our hands - freshly cleaned beds of daffodils and creeping clematis and the last of those brown leaves put away for good.

On a practical level I hope this is the last time we clean up this yard, as we're readying it to put on the market. On a tender heart level, that clematis was my mother's day gift several years ago. The rose was planted in celebration of Addison's one year birthday. The lamb's ear and coneflower was given to me by a sweet friend, as I began developing my perennial bed. The hostas that fill many of the beds were transplanted late one night, after we'd worked all day in a friend's yard doing spring cleanup. He was battling cancer at the time, lost the fight soon after, and when I see those plants I still think of him, and his widow left behind with two boys to raise. But there's another yard waiting for me, full of perennials tenderly planted by someone other than me. Possibly many of those plants have stories to tell, if they could. I guess it's part of the cycle, leaving a little bit of yourself when you go, knowing someone else will come behind you and put a bit of their heart into it, then move on to the next place God has for you, being sure to celebrate both. Life is fluid and none of us are meant to stay in any place forever, it's much more a matter of what we do while we're there, what we leave behind for someone else.

Simple Pleasures

One 'hot off the press' knit cotton dishrag, in cheery colors...


The instructions said block it by throwing it into service immediately. I love how it looks, draped over the kitchen sinks.
My MIL would have liked these. They're a regular workhorse, something she highly approved of. I'm still using the two orange potholders she crocheted me over 20 years ago. They're better than anything I can buy. Actually I knit two, in two nights. I went with something softer for the second.


It's still a bit lumpy since I didn't block it yet. I'll let the recipient do that. I'm giving it as a gift, with one of these:

When I'm choosing a gift, I pick something I'd like to receive. There's such a sweetness to these I think.

Thanks Becky for getting me started on these, and to Sarah for not only teaching me to knit, but also the brilliant recommendation that I put together a knitting bag, ready to grab and run out the door with, when we have showings. It'll make passing the time, while people are touring the house, much more fun. Hopefully I don't get too many dishrags done before it sells....

They'd look nice tied up in a bow with one of these too:

Target had lots of bottles and bars of soap, all around $3.50. The cakes were $3.50 for a pack of two.

I'm feeling inspired! Both patterns are beginner level. Each dishrag cost about $1.25 (I purchased the yarn at Joanns - be sure to use 100% cotton), and by the time the winners are announced on Biggest Loser, Survivor and American Idol I should have a sweet stack of them in my gift box. $1.25 for a dishrag, $3.50 for the soap - what Sarah calls 'a happy' (gifts just because) for under $5.00 - love that!

Satisfying Day

Up at 6:30 am, morning chores. Devotions with coffee, today was Thursday so it was 'pray specifically for Dan and Janae'*, after the usual - "Lord, please take care of, watch over, bless, encourage, guide, etc. etc." everyone else.

Then I headed off to Creative Team meeting - the area I'm currently serving at our church. A group of about ten people who meet once a week, with our two worship pastors, someone from the tech area, and once in awhile our senior pastor joins us, as we look over the upcoming sermon series. We spend a couple of hours brainstorming, bouncing ideas off each other's brains, to develop the sermons in a way that helps people connect more with God and the church body. That's it - that's all we do - and it's just a fabulous way to serve.

Then run through Starbucks where I grab a Apple Cider Caramel something and a blueberry scone for the drive. I run a few errands, including picking up a big boy carseat (on sale at Target) for Landon. He's outgrown the first one we had, and we'll keep that tucked away for future babies we're praying for. One more gallon of trim paint should just about do it, and something pretty to hang over the potty in the newly finished bathroom - Manly's suggestion, and I want the man to know I do pay attention when he gives me decorating advice! (He was right, just the touch it needed.)

After dropping the paint off at home because it's all of five degrees outside and it'll freeze in the car, I give the dogs a pat on the head, and I'm off again. This time to meet a dear friend at Bravos for lunch - crusted chicken salads and coffee, then we head to the movie theater.

I.D.I.D.N.O.T.O.R.D.E.R.P.O.P.C.O.R.N.F.O.R.T.H.E.M.O.V.I.E. - first time in ten years, seriously, so I think it's noteworthy.

We sat and watched 'Last Chance Harvey' together, talking a little bit too much during the movie, but nobody asked us to stop talking. They have before when we've gone to movies together. Hug goodbye and each go our own ways.

Back home, pat the dogs hello, start supper, Manly walks in the door, we sit down with two glasses of rosy red wine, where we chat about our day. Now it's bedtime, time to tuck the day in, and get ready for another. A completely satisfying day, on all levels. Isn't it nice to have those, once in awhile.

What's your idea of a really satisfying day? What's it look like?

*Somebody asked before - my prayer schedule: Monday - Manly, Tuesday - Chris & Sarah, Wednesday - Jeremy & Leslie, Thursday - Dan & Janae, Friday - our church pastors, staff, Saturday - those sick & hurting, Sunday - day of praise.