13 Hours of Rain

I am more and more pleased on how this kitchen renovation has been going! My husband grins when I tell him, once again, for the umpteenth time, "I really like this. I am so glad we did it!" It is an added blessing that we are accomplishing it with cash instead of debt (so far, that is). The remodelling of our kitchen hasn't been without its challenges. We've made mistakes. We are dealing with mild plumbing issues. Our fridge and dishwasher, which we bought upon purchasing this home, are giving us issues, again! But lately, it has been more positive than negative. Phase #3 has been resurfacing our kitchen cabinets, door frames, and trim ourselves. As mentioned in a previous blog post , we used Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations in the colour Quilters White (an ivory/creamy white). We updated the hardware from the out-dated brass to brushed bronze. Furthermore, we are in the process of painting the interior of our cabinets a high-gloss white and lining the shelve...

The Kids & I at the Wedding It seemed like it was an argument about cake. I wanted some. He didn't. We drove away with two tired kids in a huff. It was a lose-lose situation. I didn't get my dessert in the beauty of the moment. My husband didn't get the early-to-bed privilege before the long drive home the next day. Our day began earlier. We had driven through almost five hours of rain. The kids were amazingly good, save for our son's momentary car sickness. We had a few incidents along the way like fueling-up at the most shanted-out Shell I've ever encountered. Or getting my fingers caught in the door of the car as the wind slammed it shut (praise God I suffered only a mild bruise). Finally, we arrived at our hotel and put on our best. Why? A wedding, of course! Our niece's wedding. An outdoor wedding. We reached the venue in good time. And thankfully, things were dry. The ceremony was beautiful. (If I wasn't so much of a control freak, I wou...

Dear Trendy Mom: I'd like you to understand, that I choose to be a non-member of the "Club". I'm not a hip Momma with Lululemon clothing, big bling sunglasses, a tattoo for fashion purposes, and an iPhone with current pictures of my kiddos. My wardrobe is functional and relatively thrifty. I wear clip-ons when I drive. I think tattoos are a colossal waste of money for myself. And my husband and I share a Samsung "flip phone" with a no texting privileges. Where are the pictures of my kiddos? I have a few laminated gems in my wallet. I am an old school, archaic parent in a techno-savy, fashion-conscience society. And frankly, it doesn't bother me if I am. Or does it? As I get older, I realize that the choices I have made on how I prefer to live have alienated me somewhat from others in my current stage of life (like you). For instance, when it comes to fashion and the other stereotypical things that interest women out there, I rather go for a h...

A garage sale at our house: lots of work, but felt good to do. The clouds threatened to pour rain all day. But it didn't. Thankfully. And we collected $130 from people who wanted our stuff. My daughter, you danced around and cheered when something significant was sold. "Yay, the play pen is gone!" Yes, that and the stroller, car seat, cloth diapers, diaper pail, a toddler's bedspread with butterflies, a few toys and puzzles along with a small collection of clothes. A twinge of sadness threatened to overshadow my resolve to move beyond the infant stage to embrace the now. I let the feeling pass and smiled as the red wagon replaced the location of my Graco "Travel System". "Yes, we don't need the play pen any more. We do not have any babies in our house," I remarked. "But you are thankful for your children," you stated as a fact. "I am very thankful that God blessed me with you two kids," I smiled as you pranced aroun...