Spring is in the Air

Not technically on the calendar yet, but definitely in the air. Actually, I think it's been in the air all "winter." There are some boys who live near me (ok, actually WITH me) who are very despondent over fake-winter. They are lamenting the fact that our last winter "up north" was so wimpy and I think they fear they will never feel the bitter chill of real winter again.

But I say, hip hip hooray!!! :)
And on that note, and with the realization that guests will soon be arriving for their stay at the Bed & Breakfast we are managing, it's time to THINK SPRING.

I have been scouring the internet and catalogs lately for decorating ideas. I'm definitely not much of a pastel-girl in decorating. Not big into bunnies, either. I really like white for spring--it feels so crisp and clean. And I think I like a mix of greens this year, too. Here are some images I found that I love:

 Did you notice how the bed is partially blocking the window? I did. Normally that would drive me bonkers, but the whole thing looks so fresh and clean it doesn't bother me!

 LOVE this mantel. I want to do something like this with ours. Our fireplace is brick, not stone, but I love that the simplicity of the candlesticks, etc. doesn't compete with the business of the stone. 

More aviary prints. This looks so pretty and vintage.

I am going to reuse the little white birds from last year (ALL over the internet. Got them at the Dollar Store, spray painted them Heirloom White) and continue to use my twine balls and eggs I made last year (they add a nice textural element). And little grapevine nexts and speckled eggs. And my in-laws got us the cutest little egg "stand" ( I have no idea what it's called) that I am excited to pull out. The key is to use as many things as I can that I already have. I don't think buying new decor right before a move is a wise decision.....

Oh, and I'm going to cut those hyacinths and put them in a vase inside just as soon as they bloom. I LOVE how they smell and I want to look at them all day long.

On another note, and I may have written about this before, but a friend of mine has a wonderful spring tradition that I wish we had begun when our children were young. Because they want to keep the focus on the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, they choose to celebrate the first day of Spring with baskets and candy and egg hunts. She often has friends over to join in the festivities and decorates her table so sweet. They enjoy little prizes, Peeps, and make bunny cakes. What a wonderful way to celebrate the newness and beauty of spring and to let Christ remain the center of the family's Easter celebration.

Wiggle and Jiggle

On the menu for this week:

oatmeal

jell-o

apple sauce

chicken soup

yogurt

pudding

ice cream......

Turning It Blue

This weekend, for a much needed break, we took a trip down south to see a little Carolina blue and visit the big boy and his girl. It was a nice drive down in sunny weather, which got even better once we hit the state line. Have I mentioned how much I love North Carolina? It's my happy place. :)

Enjoy the pics:

Thankfully they put those in the correct order!



It was 67 degrees when we arrived...



We got there in time to visit the museum-so cool!



All kinds of cool Carolina stuff on display (Hansbrough's shoes and ring)

 


This, for Carolina fans, is an awesome addition to the museum. See close up below. :)





This little guy was under the weather all weekend, but it didn't stop him from showing some spirit. He spent most of our downtime resting in the hotel while the "big kids" were out. He's a trooper.....



Time for the game (Carolina beat Clemson handily).



adorable.



We had a yummy dinner at Rachael's new apartment Sunday evening and, although we had planned on driving home afterwards, decided we would stay another night because of a freak snowstorm across the mid-south region. It was a good decision because the snow was icy and heavy and we counted 14 accidents or cars off the road just between Rachael's apartment and our hotel. Turns out there were 722 accidents in Virginia Sunday evening and parts of I-95 North were closed for a period of time. But we were snug and warm and enjoyed a beautiful sunny drive home yesterday.

Now we're rested and happy and ready to jump back into real life!

Poem

Earthquake, Earth Shake by Joshua

I felt a shake,
I made a break.
We were at a hospital
We felt a shake.
We opened the door,
We heard a noise and said,
"Well, that's a quiet alarm!"

We felt a shake,
We made a break.
We evacuated.
We went outside,
We waited aside
Until the workers said, "It's okay!"
Then we went inside and continued.

I love them....

Continuing our tradition of heart-shaped pizzas (26 years!) on Valentine's Day, along with Love Potion ice cream and some other goodies thrown in.....

This year we added in several fun games, modeled after Minute to Win It. Yes, I got the ideas on Pinterest. :) They were a lot of fun--Nick was the big winner of the "incredible" prize package, but I think I won just getting to watch the hilarity. :)

 And, to up the adorable-factor, Jarrett and Rachael started their own heart-shaped pizza tradition....my heart smiled. :)

As for Alyson, :(. We sent her goodies, but it wasn't quite the same....maybe next year....

Star Wars Energy....

Saturday night the boys donned their very finest and headed out to meet other like-minded individuals at a mutually agreed upon location to view one of pop culture's classic films.
Yep,
Star Wars Episode 1 in 3-D opening weekend
and my kids were dressed up as Star Wars characters.

I think it was Joshua's first time experiencing this type of event but he took it all in stride. They kept their apparel kind of muted this time, but still got lots of approving looks and remarks as they made their way through the mall to the theater and into their seats.

And they have a great bunch of friends who shared the experience with them. :)

Today I worked out twice. Once, a weight-lifting class at our gym and twice, a Jazzercise class with a friend. Let me tell you, Jazzercise today is not your mom's leotards and leg warmers. And I am still uncoordinated....and tired. And sore.

So I decided I would FINALLY get around to making these:

find recipe here

They have been floating around Pinterest a long time and pretty much everyone I follow has made them and raved about them, so they seemed like the perfect pick-me-up after a long day. I made them pretty much just as the recipe calls for, except I don't have ground flax seeds, so I just used whole. Because of that I added in a little wheat germ to help hold things together.

YUM.
YUM.
YUM.

Perspective

Well, that was a bummer. And it was made worse by the fact that we DVR'd the thing and didn't even start watching until almost 11. Which meant that we stayed up until 1 am for that terrible ending....

But as I laid there in bed waiting to fall asleep, my mind wasn't on the buzzer beating shot or the unfortunate tip-in moments before. This week some dear friends of ours are dealing with a diagnosis of leukemia. They are in the middle of all the testing and are still unsure of what their immediate future holds. One thing is for certain, their lives are changed. Their children are processing what it means and many questions are still unanswered. Something they do know, though, is that God is in control. They have asked for prayers and are confident that the Lord is hearing them and will answer in His time. I am praying they continue to feel that sense of peace as this journey unfolds.
And yesterday another family, who I do not know personally but have prayed for for 3+ years, lost their beautiful, precious 7-year old daughter to a brain tumor. They are grieving now, even as they imagine her dancing with her Father in heaven. In the silence of the night after the game was over I couldn't help but consider my priorities.

I am known as a pretty "enthusiastic" Carolina fan. I can smack-talk with the best of them, I love reading commentaries, statistics, and blogs about the team, and am usually counting down the days till basketball season starts. That's all fine and dandy-nothing wrong with that. But when the focus on a game becomes bigger to me than the focus on the people around me, my priorities are askew. When I find time to read the full scouting report for the game that night but only enough time for a cursory look at my Bible that day, my devotion is misguided.

Lord, let me see Your people as you do; make me empathetic to those around me who are hurting-in need of physical help or spiritual salvation. Help me be disciplined in my devotion to You and your Word, that those who see me will see a glimpse of You.

"Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Matthew 22:37-39

Bittersweet Music

We got a new piano. Pee-nano, as one of the kids used to call it. Not technically new, but adopted with love. It's a Wurlitzer-much smaller than our old piano and with a lovely character to it. The boys love it already. And I love the idea of having wall space above the piano and not having to devote an entire half of a room to it.

BUT. I loved our old piano. It was old. It was rickety. And it was family. We got it from some of our dearest friends (like family) way back at Fort Campbell. Pushed it across the cul-de-sac. Then we moved it with us to Montana for a year, then shipped it across the Atlantic to Germany, where, interestingly, I believe it originated...

It took up a LOT of space in our tiny German apartment. But I loved it. I loved hearing the children practice on it, and plunking through some songs myself. I liked decorating the top of it, and thought of our friends every time I looked at it.
I will miss that old thing.

Science Center Fun

Somebody tell me I should be out on a run, enjoying this gorgeous weather, rather than sitting in front of the computer drinking coffee...

Oh well....

You get to see pictures of our fun day at the Science Center yesterday! We went with the homeschool group from church (which has GROWN) and we all had a blast. I am so very thankful to know such wonderful ladies and for the boys to have made genuine friendships with other homeschoolers. Homeschooling numbers drop of dramatically once high school is reached and for boys it's even more pronounced. But we are blessed to know several families who have made the same commitment to their families to continue homeschooling through high school and I love seeing that great group of guys young men enjoying each others' company. They have similar interests and are all so considerate of others and sweet to the little ones...


bonding in a new way---right before an electric current passed through all of them!





bed of nails remains a favorite

 

heart rate monitorin (nothing new for us...)



lie detector






mini-paleontologists

 

Joshua likes being the older kid...