he got the job!

• my husband got a job! We're talking a full-time job. Ok, no benefits, but we're so thankful he got a job that will start in two weeks. Thank you Lord!
• we're praying I find work that gives us medical insurance and that we can dig ourselves out of the hole we've gotten ourselves in from 2 years of part-time/ unemployment. 
• it seems daunting, but I'm trusting God will help us find a way.
• it's going to be close to 120 degrees this weekend. Yikes!
• the estate sale dates I've been working towards are this weekend.
• God help us. But gosh I love my job.
• my son Tyler is moving to Wisconsin in July.
• I will miss him terribly.
• my other son Shawn & his wife Nicole just celebrated 9 years.
• we're watching The West Wing on Netflix. I am loving every single episode.
• I simply adore Josh... and Donna... and Mrs. Landingham... and Toby... and Leo...
• and of course the President. Omg, Martin Sheen is the best.
• No, I take that back. None of them are anything without great writers. 
• And Aaron Sorkin happens to be the best of the best.
• Ok, I started this post this morning, and just an hour ago Randy & I watched the Season 2 finale. And I am still in tears. And some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
• Although I have a feeling Randy & I are the only ones in Phoenix to have never seen an episode prior to a month ago.
• Ok, what else... our dear friend Ed took us on a roadtrip to Safford, Arizona last weekend. 
• You know how much I love a roadtrip. But what you couldn't know is how much I needed a roadtrip at this time. 
• So thankful to be out on the open road to clear my head and commune with nature.
• Here's Ed & I with Mt Graham in the background ~ the highest peak in Arizona.

my faith journey

I have a hard time letting people do for me. I mean, I think I want the help. But then I don't. I guess just knowing they want to help in some way is enough for me... but the actual letting them do for me is hard.
So I'm learning to let others meet our needs. I've taken some baby-steps here and there, but this past weekend was a biggy. I let someone host a yard sale for us. Someone I didn't even know that well. Someone that I now know, having spent several hours in the sweltering heat working a yard sale. And you know what, it felt good.
You see we're in a very difficult season. My husband has been looking for full-time work for over two years. In that time he has only had two interviews for part-time jobs and while one of those jobs ended after one year, the other ended after 3 months. He has not had one interview for a full-time job. Needless to say, times are tough. And I have not handled it well. At all. In our almost 34 years of marriage, we've never both been weary and tired, unable to pull the other out of the muck and mire. Till now. I can easily go to a scary place where I isolate, believe the lies in my head and lose hope.
It's been tough on our marriage. While I need to process out loud, he doesn't. While I'm more relational, he isn't. While those things drew us together in the early years, only frustrate in the later. Or maybe it's the daily stress that continues to weaken our resolve to be there for each other. But we remain committed for the long haul. No matter what. Because of love.
Anyway, the yard sale was such a blessing. Yes, the proceeds met a huge need. But the blessing of watching someone give of their time and resources had me in tears... and wondering why would they do that? Why would someone sacrifice time with their family on a Saturday to spend several hours in the heat with me? Because of Christ in them. Because of love.
Which brings me to today... Randy has an interview for a full-time job tomorrow afternoon. I don't even like typing those words out loud. In fact, that is part of the reason I don't say much at all, cuz it's hard enough on me if things don't pan out, but I don't want to disappoint others. So many have prayed and prayed and nothing seems to be happening... ok, other than I am learning to depend on God, trusting His plans, in His perfect timing. But if you know me at all, you know I'm all about a great story, a redemptive story, a happy-ending story. Well, I would much rather move along in this particular chapter of my life... and get on to the next, where everything starts to make sense and I get to shout from the mountaintops the faithfulness of God. Oh I know, He's faithful right now. But man oh man, I can so quickly lose heart and crumble under the weight and gravity of our situation.
SO many changes in these past two years that just don't always make sense. At least for now. But God has a plan. He always does. And yes, after 30+ years in full-time ministry, He is not done with us yet. We will serve Him and follow Him no matter what we're doing. So we're praying soon we can get about the business of doing whatever it is that he has for us in this next chapter. In the mean time, I don't want to miss the lessons along the way. I don't want to fight the pain and suffering, but rather embrace all that he is teaching me every. single. day.

On a lighter note, we went to brunch today with our kids and grandkids for Father's Day, and I said to Elsie (age 2) "Elsie, it's Father's Day for your Daddy!". And she says all indignant "It's not Father's Day, it's Mother's Day for Fathers!" haha! Oh that girl is one smart cookie.

Oh and may I add, she's quite the little haircutter too. Yes, Elsie took a scissors to her hair this week and in a matter of minutes, she cut her hair. Like a whole lot!
God love her. :)

Rejoice in hope
be patient in tribulation
be constant in prayer
Rom. 12:12

Nathan & Jonah @ 1

Just so you know ~ extreme amounts of cuteness are embedded in this post!

My grandsons Nathan & Jonah turned 1 the end of April.

They are really and truly the sweetest little boys ever.

And yes I have tears rolling down my cheek just thinking about the love they already have for each other, and the memories they will make in the years to come.

I can't wait to see their personalities expressed through their differences and their similarities.

I think they're praying the photo session will end soon...

... so they can play with their favorite sisters in the whole world.

Oh this family melts me. I love them to pieces.

Oh my oshkosh b'gosh ~ are they just the cutest or what!!!

Special thanks to En Love Photography ~ love your work!

Ball jars & Tupperware

Ball jars and I go way back. In fact we have sort of a love/hate relationship. 

Years of canning in a hot, humid kitchen in the dead of summer can do that to you. You love the results, but hate the process. Come on, you know the gig... planting the garden, weeding the garden, harvesting the garden... and then the hours upon hours of snipping beans, shelling peas, slicing cucs... I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I wanted to break those blasted Ball jars at times.

But now, they make me all nostalgic, representing a simpler time, remembering the rows of colorful produce, all preserved and placed beautifully in our basement shelves. Hey, don't get me wrong, not nostalgic enough to want to ever can again as long as I live! 

So when I came upon these wide-mouth Ball jars at an earlier Estate Sale, I decided they would be our drinking glasses. You see I'm picky about glasses, especially hand washing them. I want to be able to get my whole hand and dish rag inside. These fit the bill. And my 24 year old son loves them. You know, big and beefy.

Well, last week I went to my local Fry's Food Store and saw these Ball plastic storage caps on clearance. Seriously, the only thing that would make my glasses even better is to find the perfect leak-proof plastic lids to give them even more bang for their buck. 

My 8 glasses now have 8 matching lids!

Oh the possibilities ~ dressings, dips, sauces, gravies, smoothies, puddings, lemon curd, etc.

And speaking of my favorite glasses... if you're a Duck Dynasty fan you most likely know that Sy goes no where without his favorite ice tea glass ~ a pastel Tupperware glass. And seriously folks, I get it! I LOVE my two pastel Tupperware glasses. They are totally and completely spill and leak-proof ~ as long as you burp the lid. I have been mixing homemade dressings, along with shaking flour and cold water for gravies in these babies for over 30 years, with no plans to sell... even though they are fetching a good chunk on eBay since Duck Dynasty hit the airwaves. 

But here's the deal, I am now the coolest Mom ever because my son Tyler not only loves Duck Dynasty and Sy, but loves the fact that his Mom has the same Tupperware glasses that Sy is either sippin' or stashin' in his back pocket. God love him!

Decoration Day

my nephew Alex, my brother Gary and my sister Kathy

I grew up calling it Decoration Day. 

A day to remember the men and women that died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, by decorating the graves with flowers and flags.

This is my Dad's headstone in our church cemetery back home in Wisconsin.

Such a beautiful, peaceful place.

my nephew Parker

We now call it Memorial Day ~ 

a day set aside to remember all who served our country in the military.

Thank you for serving, so we could have freedom today.

And where else do you find cows grazing next to a cemetery? 

Well, in Wisconsin of course. :)

Please take a moment and read THIS post about my Dad's service to our country.

Oh, and come see what my Dad did in 1968 to welcome home two local farm boys that were returning home from Vietnam ~ click HERE.

Life's better on a deck

... especially if your life is not going as planned.

So you get in your vehicle and head north. Desperate for clarity. For peace.

You sit. You commune with nature... with friends that understand.

You find nourishment for your soul.

And although nothing has changed, you clearly see your need to depend on God for your security. You see your need to give up the control and put your trust in Him. For His plans. 

I recently found this quote in the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, that stopped me in my tracks. This is me to a tee. But God saw fit to allow everything to change. Everything. And it has rocked my world. It has revealed things about me that I did not know till my security was taken away... jobs, health insurance, savings, retirement, my health. 

"Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens- they have their savings account.  They don't need God to help them- they have their retirement plan in place.  They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live- they have life figured and mapped out.  They don't depend on God on a daily basis- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God." 

I'm not handling it well. I have a long ways to go. It's one step forward, two steps backwards. 

But I remain in the race, however painful it may feel at times.

Thank you for remaining a faithful reader... and for your prayers. Means a lot.

little bits of this 'n that

• the Estate Sale I've been working on since March was a huge success.
• the family worked the 2-day sale with me, which made it so much easier.
• finally sold the antique chandelier I've had listed on Craig's List for many months. 
• it didn't sell at an earlier Estate Sale I did in December.
• still had the original 92 glass crystals.
• perseverance really does pay off.
• we've been doing life with one vehicle and so far so good.
• not sure what we'll do when my husband finally gets a job.
• watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix ~ so addicting.
• Starbucks Frappuccinos are 1/2 off this week from 3-5pm.
• and I have a couple dollars left on a gift card. yes!
• I have Tendonitis/ Bursitis in my right shoulder. 
• the pain has been unbearable since December. Sleeping is the worst.
• needless to say, I process everything through a grid of pain & sleep deprivation.
• oh, and fear... we have no medical insurance.
• I'm not the most pleasant person to live with as of late.
• went to my first Vintage Market by Junk in the Trunk. Chris & I had so much fun!
• OMG ~ I came away with oodles of repurposed inspiration galore!!!
• Randy & I attended a beautiful wedding over the weekend. 
• at the very same venue my daughter got married exactly 6 months earlier.
• very emotional remembering that magical day.
• I sold another Estate Sale item at my yard sale a couple months ago,
• and recently got an email from the lady showing me what her daughter did with the side table ~ I was blown away! check it out ~ The Hankful House blog
• my 24 year old son Tyler introduced me to Duck Dynasty ~ I'm hooked!
• check out Phil Robertson's powerful testimony.

These are a few of the items that I still need to sell from the Estate Sale over the weekend ~

Wedgwood Amherst Platinum Bone China ~ 12 place settings 

19 Limoge luncheon plates ~ made in France 

dress from Greece

My daughter Miranda studied in England for a semester in 2009. Then she traveled throughout Europe with a friend for a month, arriving back in Phoenix just in time to sing at a friend's wedding in California. One of the many gifts she brought back from her travels was this beautiful dress from Greece, that she got for her niece Emolyn to wear to the wedding. Emolyn was 15 months old and omg, she looked simply adorable! And yes, she pretty much stole the show. ha!

Fast forward 4 years later... we arrive at Nathan & Jonah's 1st Birthday party and Emolyn is wearing that very dress as a darling tunic. Needless to say, I melted. Where has the time gone! My firstborn grandbaby is 5!

As you can see, Emolyn has quite the flair for fashion. And she can work a camera like nobody's business. And she is the best big sister to Jonah, Elsie & Nathan!

Twins 1st Birthday!

This past week we celebrated Nathan & Jonah's 1st Birthday!

Can you believe it! The year has flown by so fast.

Ok, I gotta brag a bit ~ Shawn & Nicole are the best parents. They are so intentional, loving, consistent, patient and FUN! Shawn is the stay-at-home Daddy and Nicole is an RN. So proud of how they juggle their many roles. 

As a result, their kids are so secure, accepted, loving and kind. 

Seriously, they have the best kids!

We gave them the DUPLO set their Daddy played with as a little boy, along with dump trucks and dump truck gripper socks. As you can see, Jonah was quite enamored with the socks.

They had their first taste of ice cream and after a few sour faces, they were hooked.

Now that's my boys! ha!

Americana vintage swing

The other day I got this hair-brain idea to move the old metal swing. It was next to the barn shed, set on rocks and dirt, with the bottom rungs pretty much rusted off. I found it at a yard sale almost 20 years ago. I can't imagine my backyard without it.

So my handy, handsome husband replaced the bottom rungs with steel rods and now it's good-to-go for another decade, especially now that we've relocated it to the arbor area, set on brick pavers.

Then I found two strands of lights in the garage with matching green cording.

And then Randy & I has us some snuggle time under the stars ~ 

after watching Dancing with the Stars. :)

Btw, I found a stack of Realtor signs at a yard sale a couple years ago for a quarter each. 

The Fantastic View sign being my favorite.

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Hollyhocks are captivating

I know, I can't stop myself. Each morning I just have to capture the newest variety, the best lighting, the freshest bloom. My Hollyhocks are truly captivating.

I could seriously shoot throughout the day and be surprised by the changing light reflected on each bloom.

They make me so happy.

I literally gasped when I saw this one  ~ the light appears to be illuminating from the bloom as though a spotlight to the heavens.

My blush pink ones are blooming profusely.

They stand so tall and statuesque.

I have been reading Beth Moore's blog for years now. I just love her. The other day she posted a blog post that touched my heart, especially the following quote ~

 "Sister, Jesus is hemming you in. If He’s backed you into a corner, it’s not to isolate you but to freshly exhilarate you. He loves you. He’s seeking you out. Slow down and let yourself be caught by this holy jealous-for-you love that will not let you go. We are not just tolerated. We didn’t make it in by the skin of our teeth. We have been planned for and pursued. We are the deep desire of Someone’s heart."

He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us.  
James 4:5

Oilcloth & Pyrex polka dots

Polka dots are the thing this Spring! 

So when I found this old type writer table at my local ARC thrift store for $5.00,

I just had to have it. It was covered in this crazy, ugly contact paper that I ripped right off before I could even take a before pic.  

It's a quality piece ~ sturdy and rolls easily and smoothly. But I mainly bought it because I could cover it in my favorite piece of polka dot oilcloth from SAS.

I have never found a piece of oilcloth bigger than 1/2 yard at SAS, so I am always on the lookout for smaller surfaces that I can cover in my treasured oilcloth.

I used my very favorite oilcloth piece {Cath Kidston} at my daughter's wedding reception HERE.

Oh my gosh, don't you just love it!!!

I decided to adhere the oilcloth using heavy-duty masking tape, rather than staples.

I want to be able to remove the oilcloth down the road, without damaging one single inch of this luxurious piece of oilcloth.

Come on ~ I couldn't do a polka dot oilcloth photo shoot without my polka dot Pyrex nesting bowl set! It took me decades to find these three pieces. I don't shop eBay and antique stores, and will only pay a buck or two for any of my Pyrex. That's why it took me so long.

You can see my Pyrex collection HERE. 

And yes, I know there's a green bowl, but I prefer to only stack these three. And I don't particularly like that shade of green with these colors.

I found these polka dot melmac plates at a thrift store a few years ago.

They're not old, but have a vintage feel to them. I love them!

We take them along when we go camping in our Cozy Cottage on Wheels.

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Hollyhocks in Phoenix

My Hollyhocks are making me so happy right now. And God knows I needed my girls to start blooming. Yes, Hollyhocks are girls in case you were wondering :) And just so you know, my Hollyhocks are situated right outside my bedroom window. Which gives me a front row seat to these beauties while sitting at my computer.

When I filled a pail of Hollyhock seeds and threw them in the ground back in the mid 90's, I had almost every color of the rainbow blooming those first few years. You see my husband had done a concert at a Christian College in California and the campus was filled with every color Hollyhock imaginable. So I filled a pail full of dried seeds that were still attached to the Hollyhock stalks.

When I got home I just threw 'em all in the ground. It was September. And low-and-behold that Spring I had more Hollyhocks than I could even imagine. Who knew Hollyhocks could grow so well in Phoenix, Arizona!

So needless to say, I became known as the Hollyhock Lady. My front yard was filled with Hollyhocks for all to admire as they drove by our home. I eventually planted the seeds I harvested each year, in the backyard for the afternoon shade.

Like I said, I grew every color Hollyhock. But over the years, the predominant pinks and reds won out, while the dark burgundy (known as Blacks), white, yellow, peach and double-bloom crinolines became less and less. I was so sad. Thankfully I have photos of those lost colors. My blog banner being one of them ~ my favorite crinoline hollyhock photo.

You can find that original post with my favorite photo HERE.

I actually have a handful of precious seeds from each of those colors in separate canning jars. I can't bring myself to plant them, in fear they won't reproduce and be gone forever. 

Yes, I could go out and buy seeds of any color, shape and size, but that wouldn't carry on the legacy started from the original seeds harvested on that California trip almost 20 years ago.

So, before I published this post, I decided to go outside and capture one more shot as the sun was setting this evening. Love the deep reds against the blue skies. Love my lovely girly girls.

~ Hollyhocks seeds are best planted in the fall if you live in Phoenix, Arizona ~

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