Changing Things Up Around Here

You all know our third child was married recently (yes, I need to say this often, just to get used to the idea). It was a joyful occasion, a bitter-sweet occasion. We are happy for her, happy our family is growing, but we miss her. She was my right-hand-woman for quite some time and now I feel a little 'off', a little handi-capped. Her siblings miss her. We have an odd number of people in this household now, weird!

And so, as a distraction, and to set things up for the younger ones to get more focused attention from their Mama, we are diving into the Great Bedroom Switch-er-oo!

The two youngest boys are moving from here . . .

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 . . . to here:

after we change these Pepto-Pink Pony walls  . . .

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 . . . to these Rough-and-Tough Old West Cowboy walls.

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The two youngest girls have moved from their Pretty and Pink room to their big sister's Old-but-Still-Cool-and-Hip room.

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But before we finish The Big Switcheroo, two things have to happen. One - Big Sis has to come get the rest of her stuff! And two - Mom has to clean out the storage room.

You know, that room, behind that closed door, way downstairs, in that dark back corner of the basement?

Yeah, that one. Where everything that has no home is shoved, where everything that belongs to those who've moved on is piled, where everything that everyone has outgrown is saved - for who/what/when no one really knows!!!

March is the month for the OrgJunkie's Annual Organizational Challenge and I'm committing my storage room (before it commits me!).  Every Friday this month you can stop in here, or over at OrgJunkie.com to peek at my progress and the progress of others taking the challenge. And then on March 31, we'll have The Big Reveal, so stay tuned!

this post is linked up the the 31 Day Organizational Challenge introduction

Is it Spring yet?

Mr. Groundhog said "Early Spring"

  

The calendar says it is only a couple of weeks away.

Scenes like these, just outside my window, seem to tell me a different story.

Even with the world outside still clothed in all its Winter Glory, the kids and I have decided to live by faith and 'think spring' and get our seeds started. 

Planning out our summer garden gives us a sense of hope and new life. I love the way God has given us four distinct seasons, ordered our days in such a predictable way that after the dead of winter everything around us comes to life again.

Our seeds are watered and warming in the sun and under the grow lamp. We are watching with anticipation for those tender shoots to come pushing up through the black soil.

Have you started seeds? Planned your summer garden? What will you be planting this year?

linking this post up to Tuesday Garden Party

A Modern Day Fairy Tale

Many who visit here know that our Dear and Precious Daughter was married 2 weeks ago. I've been asked by many to hear their story and see photos of the big event. Below is "Their Story" as written by the sister of the groom and the mother of the bride. The photos from their wedding day are provided by Salt and Light Photography.

On a lovely June day, in a small town in New Hampshire in the year 1991, a beautiful Princess was born to Mr. and Mrs. S. They named their third child Caitlin. The sweet New England babe brought great joy to their lives. Toward the end of her first year, the Sears family moved to the midwest.

In December of the year Princess Caitlin and her family arrived in Illinois, Prince Stephen was born to Mr. and Mrs. C in a large town near Chicago.  There was great celebration as their 5th blessing joined their family. But, alas, though living in the same land the Prince and Princess were not yet to meet.

Princess Caitlin’s family stayed in the Land of Illinois only a short time and then traveled far and wide for several years. At last they settled in Missouri when she was 7 years of age.

Only a year later Prince Stephen’s family followed, making their home in a nearby village. Still, for all of their closeness in distance they had yet to meet.

At long last, in the start of the New Year of 2005 Prince Stephen’s and Princess Caitlin’s families meet. Attending the same church in a nearby city, a family friendship begins that was to lead to greater things in years to come.

The years go by, the little Prince and Princess grow and play and learn under the watchful eye of their loving parents, each in their own family, the paths of their lives crossing from time to time. In the fall of 2011, each of them became involved in a group of Christian young people, learning and enjoying English Country dancing. A Grand Ball was held at Christmas time that year. Prince Stephen began to notice this beautiful princess among the people. He started to pray about his growing attraction to the lovely lady.

Meanwhile, Princess Caitlin was quite annoyed by the young man. You see, Prince Stephen has long been a good friend to her brother Luke. And now, it seemed, he was often intruding on precious time she spent with her dear brother. But with time, she found that maybe this young man was not quite so bad . . . just maybe it was rather nice having him around.

On the 17th of March, 2012, Brother Luke, as yet unaware of the growing attraction between Princess Caitlin and Prince Stephen, invited many friends to the Family Castle for a day of Paintball Fun. Many Princes and Princesses from nearby Hamlets arrived and spent the day frolicking and game-playing. At the close of day, as dusk approached, the young people returned to the Castle, piled in the back of Father's little green pick-up truck. From across the way, there was a little sparkle in the eye of Prince Stephen, and was that a reflection of the setting sun in Princess Caitlin’s eye, or something more? 

On April 16, 2012, following other Providential events and the counsel of his parents, Prince Stephen approached the Princess's Father and asked for the opportunity to court his daughter, with the intent to marry if they found it to be God’s Will. Princess Caitlin, when asked by her father if she would welcome this type of attention from this Prince, said she would. The following day, the 17th of April, Princess Caitlin gave her acceptance to Prince Stephen and the journey to engagement began!

Throughout the coming summer the Prince and Princess ate together, prayed together, played together. On September 2, Prince Stephen asked Princess Caitlin’s Father for her hand in marriage.  This Prince wasted no time, and on September 3rd, in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twelve, Prince Stephen proposed to Princess Caitlin and she . . .

. . . ACCEPTED!!!  

All were delighted and immediately celebrated and began to plan the wedding of a lifetime. 

      

   

And on February 17, 2013, 11 months to the day since they had enjoyed their first sunset “together”, our Beloved Prince and Princess said their vows and shared their first kiss before God, family and friends and were married. . .

. . . To live happily ever after . . .

sharing this post at A Mama's Story  and The Modest Mom Blog and Time-Warp Wife and Deep Roots at Home

Menu Plan Monday - 2/24 to 3/2

As I work to find 'normal' around here again, posting my menu weekly plan is one way to accomplish that. What with the wedding last week and the weather patterns, I've not been able to get my monthly big shopping/big cooking days in. That makes it all the more important to have our meals planned out for the week. Now I'm off on another mad dash to town to stock up before the next big snow hits.

 

Sunday - Bagels for breakfast; Taco Salad for dinner, Popcorn supper with Homemade Jelly Donuts (made by our resident almost-twelve-year-old)

Monday - Oatmeal and leftover donuts for breakfast; Pizza Hut (using up their BookIt certificates) for lunch; Hamburgers for supper

Tuesday - Burritos for breakfast; Soup for lunch; Lasagne for supper

Wednesday - Cereal for breakfast; Sandwiches for lunch; Scalloped Potatoes w/ Ham

Thursday - pancakes and waffles (stored in freezer from earlier this month); ramen w/ veggies and ham; Frozen Dinners (date night, so kids are on their own)

Friday - Egg-in-the-Window for breakfast; mac-n-cheese for lunch; Pizza and a Movie Night

Saturday - Muffins & fruit for breakfast; leftovers for lunch; Stuffed Peppers for supper

Linking this post up at OrgJunkie.com

Something Blue . . .

My girl has her own style, her own spin on life, her own way of looking at things. She loves the Lord, loves her family, loves her new husband. She's a bit of a loner and seeks solitude and quiet when needing to recharge or work through the tough things in life. She is fiercely loyal and a non-conformist by nature. As a rule, she does not let what others say and do dictate what she says, does and believes. 

And so, this girl of mine did NOT wear or carry something blue when she walked down the aisle on Sunday. 

I love you, my girl!

But there has still been plenty of 'blue' around here. While we are all very happy for her, and excited for her, and pray for her and cheer for her, we miss her. Mixed emotions. We are all working hard to see the 'rosy' things in her new life with Stephen amidst the 'blue' that comes with missing her. 

 Crazy, isn't it, that I've been posting about this big wedding in our family and have no photos of the big event to share? The bride and groom whisked off on their honeymoon trip straight from the reception and until they have seen the photos, I think I should hold off. Once they return home and I have permission from the photographer, you can rest assured, I'll be sharing plenty!

And so, to wrap up this little wedding poem series, you can click on each line below to view previous posts:

Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue.

And how about you? Did you follow this age-old tradition? I even put a 'penny in my shoe'! (When I told that to Caitlin, she rolled her eyes at me and sighed, "Mo-o-o-om!" so I dropped the subject.)

linking this post to Better Mom Monday  
and

women living well

Something Borrowed . . .

It's a done deal -- they tied the knot! 

On Sunday, our daughter Caitlin married her young man and since they have not returned from the honeymoon trip, I don't have permission to post pictures yet. Be sure to stop in next week!

But I can tell you that the beautiful bride borrowed her mother's veil for her special day. 

 

Before we removed the veiling from the headpiece I wore (nearly 29 years ago!), we had some fun dressing up the younger girls - dreaming and reminiscing and sharing. At 11 years old, we were amazed at how well my gown fit her! She's growing up fast and doing a good job filling her big sisters shoes (and mama's wedding dress!) already. At 6 years old, Rebekah was in her element. She would have been happy to trounce around in it all day long.

Next week I'll share several lots TONS of photos from the wedding, including how we re-made my veil for Caitlin's special day.

Something New . . .

 The bride will be wearing a brand new gown on her wedding day, but she won't allow me to give a sneak peak. But the flower girl (littlest sister) has agreed to let everyone have a glimpse of her new dress (made by mama).  

Our days are busy this week and the air is filled with excitement and anticipation. Only 4 more days!

Something Old . . .

As any good mom would do, I am making sure my daughter starts off her marriage right.And so I'm going to bring to you a quick little series based on that old saying:

Something old,

Something new,

Something borrowed,

Something blue.

To fill the requirement for the first line of this little poem we took my own wedding dress down off the shelf. No, she won't be wearing it. Honestly I don't think anyone will ever wear it. I remember feeling like a princess on our special day nearly 30 years ago but much of it has yellowed with age time. Besides, some of the fabric was, well, from an era long ago and of a rather polyester-ish quality.

   Ring Bearer Pillow 

I decided to create a few Keepsakes with bits and trims and layers from my gown. I'm hoping these will become Family Heirlooms, used by our children and grandchildren as they take that next big step in life, committing themselves in marriage the one they've chosen to walk through life. 

 Flower Girl Basket

 All materials used, aside from the pillow stuffing, a few little ribbons on the pillow, and the touch of red rose came from my wedding dress and bouquet. 


I thank my daughter for letting me get all mushy and sentimental, and for allowing me to take on these little projects. I hope it comes to mean as much to her as it does to me. 

Recycled Grocery Tote

Today I want to show you a recent project.

my grocery helper carrying several canned goods, a couple boxes of mac/cheese, a bag of pretzels and tortilla chips, probably a few more items as well

A Grocery Tote made from grocery bags. You know, those plastic bags that seem to breed in the dark corners of the pantry or broom closet or kitchen cabinet?

And where would I come up with such a wacky idea?
It happened something like this:

While traveling across the midwest via train, a friend hollers calls out,
"Hey, Linda! You need to come see this!"

I walk up the aisle and look in the direction my friend is pointing.
I meet a sweet lady with an unusual handbag. A handbag crocheted from strips of plastic grocery bags.

"Do you mind if I have a closer look," I ask her.

"Be my guest," she says, and she proceeds to open her handcrafted purse. She gives me a tour, invites me to dig in and see the construction all the way down deep to the bottom. She grins and shares how a friend made it just for her and how it's the perfect thing for traveling. We discuss all the possibilities and uses and you-coulds.


Once I had returned home, I 'googled' and searched and found out that when you cut those pesky plastic bags into strips (cut off the handles, slit open the bottom, begin cutting 1 inch strips in a circular fashion) and roll them into a ball like you would yarn, you have created 'plarn'. Cool!

I saw many patterns out there, but opted to create my own. I made several sturdy foundation rows using a half-double-crochet and then worked rows in the round, with a bit of an open pattern.

the perfect grocery tote or beach bag or whatever bag

To form the handle, I chained several stitched at about a third into the row, slip-stitched it to the previous row and continued around, creating a matching handle around the other side.

I then single-crocheted a couple of rows to finish it off. This was a create-as-you go project, and lots of fun! It was quick and easy. Once my stash of bags gets unmanageable again, I think I'll have a couple of my assistants making up big balls of 'plarn' so I can create a few more.

A big thank you goes to this friendly lady, wherever/whoever she may be for inspiring this project.





I have shared this post over at Titus 2 Tuesdays and Raising Homemakers and Works For Me Wednesday 
 and Thrifty Thursday 

[Afraid] - Five Minute Friday

Taking five minutes today, Friday, to let the words flow from my fingertips, joining others who freely jot down thoughts, at Five Minute Friday.

Today's word is [Afraid].

Go!

Afraid.
I am afraid of the dark.
I am afraid of saying the wrong thing.
I am afraid I might make a mistake.
I am afraid of disappointing others.
I am afraid I will not measure up. 
I am afraid of what others might think.
I am afraid.

But in the shadow of the cross there is no need to be afraid. Jesus has already had victory over the world, has conquered death, has given me freedom from fear.

Stop.