Blogger probs

Blogger keeps crashing. I found out today that IPhone has stopped offering the app . I will be investigating other platforms and moving the content of this blog soon. Any suggestion of what works well ? 

New word from a dream

Koshabetic- I got a new word in a dream . I will explore the root meaning of the 2 parts of the two words. 

My first impression is an unhealthy balance of trying to keep to rules. We will have to see is that would be true. Hmmm...

Prompted 2

#septembertorememberpattern

Today's prompt is pattern. And just today I was experimenting with a coloring book app. So here is my pattern-

Funny picture, huh? Well- I needed so serious brain unwinding after driving most of the day and having to head home in holiday Friday traffic! But ... Dad got his chair! 

Photo prompts

So , I found this on Instagram...a September calendar of photo prompts. I though I might give it a whirl. But A.D.D. As I am I didn't remember it until I was in the bed. So I found a "vintage " item I could improvise for a photo. This is a lovely vintage pillow case that I will be making into a dress or apron for my grand daughter. Forgive the wrinkles. I did say I improvised!

Long days , short years

A friend of mine posted on Facebook the other day about being slightly overwhelmed with the chores that come with motherhood. She said she realizes that the days are long and hard but the years are short and will be sweet. That resonated with my soul!

Our youngest is engaged to be married. I already have plans for the room that he will be moving out of. It will be my craft room. I already have the layout drawn, and dancing around in my brain. I am very excited about it because I think it will help the entire house flow better. But in the same respect – I do not want to rush them out the door.

 I can say with all honesty I have thoroughly enjoyed my children. And now, praise the Lord, I am getting to also enjoy my first grandchild. But if you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have agreed that some of the days in the trenches of homeschool, meals, laundry, arguments about rooms and curfews - they were some pretty long days!

I think God is teaching me not to wish away my days forwards or backwards! I want to remember the sweetness of my children when they were little but I want to embrace the future of grandbabies to hold and growing old with my Mr. Wonderful. 

And yet I always want to have in mind, "even so, come Lord Jesus!"

Seeing good

I heard the sweetest thing today ... A young man said that he wanted to be an all in dad . That he wanted to come home to his kids and a wife sitting on the porch reading a book . This is a hard working , rough cut young man . He is holding down a full time job , trying to go to school 2 nights a week to get his GED . And then maybe he will go to a trade school to better his life and his families life . Him and his wife have a 2 year old girl and a 3 year old boy .
If you are reading this , say a prayer for him and his family . They could use some divine intervention , guidance and favor !

FTT

I had on a popular , upbeat Christian song that has lyrics that say "We were made to thrive" . And then God whisper "failure to thrive" . GASP ! I have know people who had children who were labeled with a condition know as FTT (Failure to thrive) . It means not growing and gaining weight at the expected rate , not meeting the milestone of development in a timely manner . Not keeping up with the progress of their peers of age and gender.
Christians sometimes have FTT it seems . They aren't growing . What they are taking in isn't healthy or helping them . Or despite good input , their body isn't using it well for gain and growth . High implications . Thought provoking , isn't it ?
What's causing Failure to thrive in your life in Christ ? Did you make a confession of faith and go right back to the cesspool of sin , feeling like "fire insurance" was good enough ? Do you regularly ingest things that you know are not healthy for you ? Feeding your eyes , ears , heart and mind with ungodly , unrighteous things ?
Do you tune out your pastor 1/2 way through on Sunday because you are trying to pick a lunch spot ? And by Tuesday you could tell a friend where you went to lunch on Sunday , but not what your pastors message was about . Not remembering a single worship song that was sang ...
Could these things be symptoms of FTT ? They could indeed ! But I know a wonderful thing . We have a standing appointment with The Great Physician ! He can heal us . He can cleanse us . He can change the things we crave . He can help us to better use what is available to us . Won't you get a check up today with Him ? I am !

Progress (New Years Eve)

I love that we are ending the year with great progress! Just look....

One side is sided! And it is the big side too!! Yeah! The deck is getting its railings right now. I got to see it get cut and measured and assembled. Just peeking out the kitchen window as I puddled around the kitchen. 

I got a new Ninja Coffee bar for Christmas from Mr. Wonderful (great gift!) At first I thought it would supplant the Keurig... But now I am not so sure. So I am working in my little kitchen to try to establish a working "flow" now incorporating both coffee appliances. Yeah.... We have a bit of a fascination with good coffee around here. LOL 

Mr. Wonderful and I walked out a stood on the 1/2 done deck the other night just being beside one another and star gazing. We are throughly going to enjoy this dang deck y'all! 

More updates SOON. (Insert Snoopy dance) 😊

the sound of progress

My head is a sleepy , noisy place today. The cough kept me up a lot last night so I am TIRED . And today the demo and construction is rockin' & rollin' ! While I AM excited , I would probably be more enthusiastic  if I was running on more than a few NyQuil induced hours of sleep .
Today the old siding is coming down and the deck is being begun. I also have a new back sliding glass door ! WooHoo!
I am really struggling with figuring out how I want to cover these new windows and doors. The only two I knew what I wanted to do for were ordered wrong and had to be re-ordered. They won't be here for about 2 weeks.
Not helping is this viral crap I picked up , probably while Christmas shopping . Sigh. The cough is brutal and just robs me of all my energy! And I have been looking on line a little bit a curtains and blinds . I am always astounded by how expensive they are ! I will ( hopefully) be making the blind / roman shade for the 2 front windows . I do rather want to try a slide shutter over the back door . But we shall see. My sweet Mr. Wonderful is pretty much like "what ever" .
I do usually try to do most of chaotic projects while he is out of town . He does not like the mess. It is fun that he is in town this week . He leaves before the construction guys get here and gets home after they are gone ... but he gets to see the days progress in increments . He is such a before and "TA-DAA" guys. He would really rather just come home and it be done .
I am glad the sun is shining today and there is a lot getting done. Tomorrow is suppose to be an absolute wash out. They better get to putting that house wrap on!

We got through Christmas

Christmas was lovely. I was sick with a pesky coughing virus, but it went well. We went non-traditional and had ribs! It was so good! I am all for non-traditional meal. I told everyone I think we are doing tacos for Thanksgiving next year! 

We did get 6 windows changed out last week , and got a new front door (and door bell) we were hoping for getting the deck done between today and tomorrow... But the rain has been pretty relentless. And the ground is super saturated. So ..  IDK! We shall see. 

Happy Monday ! I am off to find some good cough meds! 

It's a start

We have been making some progress on the house ! Yay . We got 6 or our 8 windows replaced so far and have a new from door installed! I want to go ahead and paint it SO bad !! But ... it is raining ....and raining some more ! And that is why they did not get to start on the deck today .
The kitchen window (which did get replaced already) and the deck are two of my personal favorite things that I am looking forward to with the glee of a child !
I must say here that it is really nice to have a front door that seals well. I was considering not replacing the storm/screen door . But we WILL be needing that ! As it turns out , I need that barrier between my furries and the outside world . Package deliveries and such are so much easier if I can slip out the screen and leave them in ... not trying to eat the approaching delivery person. So I will be back to looking for the appropriate fit for our needs . If only Amazon carried them. LOL That's who brings everything else ! lol
I have one more gift part coming in the mail . And a few more things to wrap .... so ... yeah , I better get a move on . SO.MUCH.TO DO!

Here are a couple pics

Here are 2 of the BEFORE pictures . Nothing showing is changed yet. I'll get back to you soon with some progress pics .

If I am not back on here before them ...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night . Blessings , Lora

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Due to unforeseeable circumstances . Our house work is being put off until Monday . I have to wait ALLLLLLLLLL Weekend. I have naked windows and stuff pile in weirder than usual places . OH ....and .... there's that whole thing that NEXT WEEK IS CHRISTMAS !!!! I am feeling a little nauseous . OK .... more than a little .

So , updates soon . Not as soon as I had hoped , sigh , but soon.
Prayers appreciated . I suck at waiting . And Christmas wrappin , and change ..... SIGH......

The day has finally come!!

Today is THE DAY! Seriously... I am in shock a bit. They will be replacing our windows today!

We have lived in our house for 24 years. The current window style is wood. Stained the the charming late 80s patina. Most of the windows have broken seals and have fogged the inside. That mean they look nasty even when they are cleaned. 

Confession time I am not an ambitious cleaner. And I like some things to show for my efforts when I do clean. So... Yep... I let the Windows hide away under blinds and curtains. They were/are pretty dirty! 😕 yuck. 

I told Mr. Wonderful he will have to make sure we add the window cleaning to a monthly rotation. Since it has obviously been off my radar for a while. Like only happens when the curtains get washed(about twice a year!)

I can't wait to post after pics! Then later window treatment pics. I think it will be pretty different. I want to paint too! If only Christmas wasn't so close! Lol Some stuff will have to be on hold a bit until afterwards. 

No tree here , not yet anyway. I did the mantle nice and put up some yard deco. You have to make hard choices when you are awaiting demo and construction. 

Pictures soon! 😘

This is my current kitchen window. See that cloudiness ? Um...yeah...That is CLEAN. It is the window I see up close the most and I am very excited to get that new one in !!

A random Thursday

It's a random Thursday in December. The baby is down for a nap , the house is a wreck , the hubby is due in tomorrow ...and my motivation stinks . So ... this is both therapy and avoidance !

It is 70 degrees here . I have the front screen open . I may be beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...but it does not feel like Christmas . I also do not have a tree up . The work will finally be starting on our house and it would just be one more thing to have to move !

I am missing my hubby , tomorrow can't get here soon enough in that respect . The amazon deliveries have been pretty steady ... more than usual , so that part looks Christmas-y. I need to dredge the depths of the closet to assemble the gifts soon ... dreading that . Maybe I can have a collosal give away box. How does one purge belongings ? We have clearly amassed a large amount of possessions . I neeed to down size , whilst stayin in the same space . gad....

Thanksgiving 2015

We had our big family and friends gathering at our "neutral location" . It was beautifully decorated , wonderfully fragrant and overflowing with abundance ! We had about 20 people in attendance and fed almost 30 people !
It was still pretty painful , the missing loved ones are still much missed , but this day we choose to love , to celebrate LIFE and GRACE and each other. It was good . God was there with us . Encouraging us to LOVE and serve . And sometimes it is His holy nudge that keeps us going and doing .
There was a lot of action and laughs today . The type that life with a toddler , who has been aptly named "Ms. Busy" , brings about . I think my favorites were when she found the cranberry jel , left with-in her reach and cut into tantalizing little fist sized globs. She ate several handfuls ! And we were thankful that her Thanksgiving dress was appropriately ...cranberry colored ! ;-)
My , wind knocked out moment was at the end of the afternoon . I was placing dishes into the piles to make sure they went home with the right people and there was a smallish crock-pot on the counter. I turned it around to see who's it was and it had my moms name on the top , in her handwriting . I sucked in a big breath and bit back the tears that sprang to my throat .
Altogether a rousing success. I have threatened that next year we are doing tacos. The whole traditional thing is SO involved ! I love it all right up to the day of . Well , actually , I am that way about a lot of things!
Better close off . Hubby is dozing in the corner of the couch .He has been working some weird shifts and I know he is tired! Poor guy !

He's two picture to complete todays post.....

Old homestead

I have realized why old farm houses that sit by themselves speak to my heart. 

You see I live in a sub-division. It's an older sub-division so we do have a respectable amount of space. And there are bout 4 styles of houses and slight variations there of. So they are not the cookie-cutter block situation. But that being said these houses were made by a builder. The original owners (some of them) got to pick from the choices available and include a couple customization details. We are not the original owners- there are definitely things I would do differently. Number one being the kitchen. The stove is right next to the refrigerator- I mean , who does that?! It makes no sense. 

But when I see an old farm house my heart stirs. I realize I do not have the skill or drive to own and take care of one but ... Oh , my heart! That was someone's dream. Literally blood, sweat and tears. The kitchen window was place just so ... For the wife's own reasons. Facing the sunset, or maybe the family cemetery. Or the gate that her husband would be walking in and out of at the beginning and end of every day.

Yes, indeed, I know why old farmhouses speak to my heart! 

Signs I painted

I mentioned the painting I was doing in my day book this week but I forgot to put a picture! 

This is one sign painted on both side. One for fall , one for Christmas!

I am really happy with it so far. I hope to put wording on it with vinyl cut on my silhouette next week. I'll post pics if I do!

Rain-y days and Mondays

Thank you for stopping by for a blog visit ! I hope you enjoy my Day Book . Find more about Day books and many other ones to read HERE

______________________________

For Today... I am all by myself. Everyone is working and it is not a day I have my grand daughter. I have a LOT I could be , should be doing but ....

Outside my window... Yuck. It is chilly (low 60's) and it is a constant misty rain . It is a total motivation squelching day. I just can't get started! So...here I am blogging. LOL

I am thinking...About how excited I am for the work that will be done on our home ...and how much work I have to get done before then ! Seriously overwhelming . Everywhere I look I see something else. I have learned that I am drowning in clothes. I have a hallway full of things that need to go away...but it's raining. Blah.

I am thankful...For a good weekend with my husband . Getting to see our family yesterday. Getting to participate in all night prayer and corprate worship. Seeing an old friend. 

I am wearing...Faded black yoga pant capris and a spiffy purple sports tank. No socks or shoes, but I will be finding those soon! It is nippy and I will also need to be in the garage soon to take down a load of laundry. (more clothes!)

I am creating...Some neat wooden signs ! Thank you Paige !

I am going...To a couple Apple Barns in North GA tomorrow! I will bring home about 20lbs of apples to can !

I am wondering...How to get my kitchen clean and Keep it clean so that I can enjoy cooking for my family again. There is just too much stuff in the way . 

I am reading...by Mark Rutland. It is SUCH a good book ! I highly reccommend it !! A small book with such astounding revelations waiting to be uncovered!

I am hoping...To get my sewing machine working. It has been a process of trial and error and finding problems and ordering parts. Waiting on parts etc....All I want to do is so simple projects!

I am learning...that as hard as it is to adjust to limitations of an injury , it can be just as hard to adjust to incremental healing. 

In my garden...

The last hurrah of the begonias and impatiens ! 

In my kitchen...I made Chicken and dumpling this weekend . It's a seriously big deal around here ! LOL . I am thinking about some french toast casserole for tonight. It's just me and the prince tonight. Mr. Wonderful is out of town.

A favorite quote for today...

A peek into one of my days...

my fur-friends reaction to this rain-y day! 

One of my favorite things...cool , sunny fall days!

From the board room...http://www.colorworldhousepainting.com/2015-exterior-house-painting-trends/
this is approximately the color our house will be ! 

What's in a name?

My beautiful grand daughter calls me Ama . She came up with it all on her own. I was originally shooting for Gemma. But Ama is unique and she has stuck with it.

While playing one of my favorite games today (words with friends) I played the word Amas . Which led me to thinking if Ama was a real word somewhere besides our little world. It turns out it is!

AMA is an abbreviation meaning ask me anything. And ironically I am kind of infamous for answering honestly even when it isn't easy.(or popular)

And Ama is a South African name that mean born on Saturday. And I WAS born on Saturday!! How cool is that! 

Many blessings Lora (aka Ama) 😍

New title

This earned us a text declaring "#bestparentsever" lol 

I'll take it! This kid loves those orange cream shakes!