Aglow, again!

Delighted. I am delighted. Amy, you are a rock star! Thank you. Thank you for this gift!

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. Psalm 118:24

Sneak Peak

New pictures coming soon . . . Remember my post about family pictures {as in, Cam was nearing two, and we didn't have any}? Having Amy {Aglow Photography & Design} take our pictures was a dream. And the images she captured are even dreamier.

Round Two of family pictures coming soon . . .

Amy-girl, I'm going to offer to keep both of your kids so that you can get to work on editing!! Truthfully, I can hardly wait to see more!

BJB

Melts my heart, this boy does.

Green

I'm green with envy! I need a crowbar. And for Greg to take the morning off. I want this woman's pantry.



Her beautiful blog is called "For the Love of a House", and I'm one of her stalkers admirers. Her kitchen is divine. The fireplace is perfection.


She and her husband found themselves in a tiny town in New Hampshire, transplanted from Dallas. Truly, her blog is filled with photographs and all the wonderful details of transforming an old, neglected farmhouse into a work of art. Never fails to delight!

I'm trapped inside today, the stomach bug has hit my youngest, while a cough consumes my eldest.

Greg, Sweetie?? Will you please bring us home some laundry detergent and a crowbar?

His & Hers

One little girl's room. Actually, this is the third version of her boudoir. The first was her tiny nursery {at our previous home}.

The little tole bedside lamp is older than I am. It used to hang between twin beds in my aunt's room, when she was a young girl. It has been avocado green, barn red, and is now a soft cream with gilt details, courtesy of a very extended project that took over my breakfast room table. It was so worth it! I still need to find a fresh linen lampshade for it.

The headboard is my favorite piece in her room, I think. I fell in love with this one from Serena & Lily. It was about $1000 over budget. Thankfully, I had leftover fabric from her rocking chair cushion, and a dear, dear upholstery man in mind. Both came together beautifully.





Today's version is happy, filled with her beloved "stuff". Almost every blanket once belonged to my niece Paige . . . There are books everywhere, this tiny girl devours books. Not shown in these pictures, but always present for snoozing are Jessie, Bullseye, a sippy cup, four blankets, Minnie Mouse, Froggie, Piggy, a green flashlight and her chocolate brown polka-dot pillow. Sometimes Buzz & Woody join the entourage.



This bunny table has been a constant in her rooms. This little table used to be my mother's, and is poured concrete, intended for outdoor use. The lace drapes came all the way from our first townhouse {in Denver}.

I am hunting for an antique angel to go over her bed. Coco, any ideas?

Her big brother's room is up next . . .




I love his room. It's B-O-Y, and I love it all. Ben's bed was a splurge. I sold a piece of jewelry to buy it for him {I was pregnant with Cameron, Greg's lucky I didn't sell his baseball card collection and refurbish the entire house}. His nursery is shown here and here. His first big boy room was blogged about here.



Probably won't be long before I have to replace various items with big boy stuff. I'm trusting PB Kids to provide plenty of attractive boy stuff! Will it be Star Wars, baseball or Optimus Prime? Sponge Bob is banned.




Ben's closet is full of transformers. FULL OF THEM. I'm not sure what I'll do if his collection of autobots and decepticons grows any more! Someday I'll probably move him to the bigger room at the back of the house. But for now, he's just down the hall from his little sister.

And his Mommy.

Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meat Loaf {recipe from Real Simple, ages ago}
-1-1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
-1 onion, chopped
-1 bunch fresh spinach, thick stems removed & leaves chopped {about 4 cups}
-1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
-1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
-1 large egg white {I used the whole egg}
-salt & pepper
-1/4 cup ketchup

Heat oven to 400. In large bowl, combine turkey, onion, spinach, parsley, bread crumbs, mustard, egg white & 1/2 tsp of salt & pepper, each. Form loaf, spread with ketchup. Bake until cooked, 45-50 minutes.

Real Simple has great recipes, but this meatloaf is amazing. If you're from The Woodlands, you've probably heard of Hubbell & Hudson. If you haven't yet visited their new Kitchen location {Gosling & Research}, you're seriously missing out. Which means more H&H for me, but I digress . . . My dad is a Foodie. An Epicurean. He adores all things H&H.

He thinks this meatloaf beats H&H's apricot version. I think he's right!

The Blues

I have two sick little ones & a semi-sick husband.

It's dreary, rainy & cold.

There are twenty-something samples of paint up on the exterior of my patch-work house, and no hope of glorious painter-friendly sunshine.

I have the blues.

Blue happens to be my favorite color. And you're probably thinking that I'm sad. Nope. I am one happy girl. An early a.m. visit to my favorite pediatrician confirmed liquids were needed, not antibiotics. The dreary weather is indicative of staying in and camping out with blankets and popcorn on the couch. And the sick hubs gave me this rockin' blue present over the weekend!


That's the inside of my perfectly pretty cobalt blue convection oven. Be still my heart.


This means that Phase Two of our kitchen overhaul is officially complete {minus one little drawer pull and a bit of touch-up paint}.

Phase Three {aka island & fridge} is a long ways off. But that's okay with me, because today I have the cobalt blues!

Crush

A recent Saturday morning conversation with Ben . . .

Ben: Mommy, you're my most favorite girl in the whole world.

Me: {melt} You're my most favorite boy in the whole world.

Ben: Well, there's a girl in my school that's my real favorite girl.

Me: {crushed, trying to hide my disappointment} There is?

Ben: Yep, the girl with the ponytail like yours.

Me: {hopes getting higher} Just like mine?

Ben: Yep. But she's my real favorite. I forget her name.

Me: {I could spot this girl's ponytail a mile away, it's amazing. Do you sense jealousy?} Is it Macie?

Ben: Yes, it's Macie! But she doesn't love me. I love her, and she just doesn't love me.

Me: Well, that's okay. Mommy loves you best of all {hoping for a big hug now}.

Ben: Guess so.

Me: And when Macie grows up, she'll come around {but no one will ever love you like I do}.

The greatest love is a mother's, then a dog's, then a sweetheart's.
~Polish Proverb

House Parts: Kitchen Part Deux

The second round of our kitchen overhaul seemed a bit more stressful than the first. Might have something to do with the fact that we began a week before Christmas.

Our master carpenter began with the venthood. Then new doors & drawer fronts replaced the old plastic covered cabinetry. A quick fitting confirmed all the new shaker style fronts were "just so", and then off to be spray painted. Leo, the world's greatest painter, worked his magic both on and off site. Upper cabinets were painted a crisp white, while the base cabinets were painted Benjamin Moore HC-105 Rockport Grey.



Greg spent most of last night installing the hardware {thank you, Beloved}. The kids and I stumbled across some pretty hardware at Home Depot the other day. After reviewing the price {and doing a happy dance on aisle twelve} I chose these for the doors and these for the drawers, both in polished nickel.


Due the end of the month is a fancy convection cookie-maker and his convection microwave companion.

Until then, this is what's left of the construction this round. Eventually we'll replace the fridge with a sleek & trim counter-depth KitchenAid. I'm thrilled to do so, as I will finally have a back-up fridge/freezer in the garage.


We're already planning the island, but won't likely work on it until next Christmas. I want something open . . . Am thinking rustic, distressed wood base, open for the most part. I definitely want drawers and a honed marble top. Stay tuned, there's always a project in the works!


In the meantime, I'll be practicing something simple, like Baked Alaska. Sherry, do you have a fire extinguisher?

House Parts: Kitchen Part 1

Before and after is easier to do when one has documented the before. Bare with me as I bare my kitchen soul.


Here's my best before shot, taken shortly after moving in. Prior to moving in we tore out the wallpaper and textured/painted the walls. We pulled out both a pot rack and the brass-flying-saucer-chandelier. White Corian, glazed peach tile with Malibu-Barbie suntan colored grout and yellowing {formerly white} thermofoil drawers/doors. I loved the functionality of the space. Fortunately, the kitchen didn't need a complete overhaul, just a face-lift.

Phase One included installation of the following:
-Honed black granite counters with a 3cm square edge
-Blended travertine subway tile, honed & tumbled
-Kitchenaid gas cooktop & dishwasher
-Blanco single basin undermount sink
-This faucet in polished nickel, the bling and my favorite part of the remodel thus far!
-Custom open shelving for display & new shelf at the window

My favorite part was watching Greg demo the counters and backsplash. We bid adieu to the flesh-toned past. Happy trails to the old vent-hood, cook-top, sink and 1980's faucet.

Bet you want pictures. So do I. I took one shot before my camera died.

Phase Two took place over the last few weeks. More on that tomorrow . . . Until then, here's a preview.

Bean & Bacon Soup

Really simple, really good!

-4 strips bacon
-2 large carrots, chopped {about 1 cup}
-2 stalks celery, chopped {about 1 cup}
-1 medium onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 15 oz. cans great Northern beans, drained
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

*Original recipe calls for 1-1/4 tbsp salt, which I omit, and don't miss a bit!

Cook bacon, set aside to drain/cool. Over medium heat, saute carrot for 5-7 minutes. Add celery, onion & garlic and cook, stirring well, for 3-4 minutes. Add beans & 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Mash {with potato masher or large slotted spoon} about 1/2 the beans to thicken the soup. Stir in the parsley, pepper & chopped bacon. Serve hot.

Recipe serves four. Total time about 25 minutes.

The Journey Home

Greg's grandfather passed away today. Our hearts are so heavy. And yet we know. We know. He's home. He's healed. He's whole.

I've treasured an article written about Clarence, and his life-long sweetheart Anita. I want to share it with you . . .

Clarence Burkett still remembers the words of his Navy buddy, Bruno: "I'll introduce you to a nice girl, provided you'll be good to her."

Fair enough, Clarence thought. But the introduction would have to wait. It was 1943, World War II was raging and both men were sailors aboard the USS Pennsylvania, a battleship that had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The "nice girl" that Bruno had in mind was a young woman from his hometown of Renton, Wash. Anita Qualiotto was her name, and she was also friends with Bruno's girlfriend, Cleo.

Bruno provided an address. And sometime in late summer of 1943, Clarence, a country boy from Paintsville, KY, began writing to Anita, whom he had never met and knew little about.

She answered each letter.

The correspondence continued for months as he saw duty in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in the Aleutian Islands.

"We just kept writing," Anita says. "Evidently, something clicked."

Details of those thoughts have been lost to time. The letters are gone.

Clarence left the battleship after a bout of appendicitis. In January 1944, he found himself stationed in Bremerton, Washington, just across Puget Sound from Renton.

So he hopped aboard a ferry boat to visit Anita for the first time.

"It felt like we knew each other," she says, then adds with a chuckle: "Naturally he fell in love with me immediately."

"She chased me till she caught me," Clarence says. Then he admits he never went steady with anyone else.

They married in April 1944, just three months after meeting.

--Written by John Johnston for the Cincinnati Enquirer in November, 2006.

Tonight he's with my angel-baby, my first, who was due this very day, December 23, five years ago.

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Christmas Card {Blogger Style}

If I had my act together, and I do not, but if I did . . . I might use this picture for a 2010 card. I love that he has his arm around her. I am, however, a perfectionist. It would drive me crazy that her arm is blurry.


Second contender. I love how she's looking up at him. I love this moment. Might have to re-crop it a bit. Lose the sidewalk. Perfectionist at work here!


This one gets it right. She's a pint-sized drama-queen. He's holding his little sister's hand, looking at her the same way her daddy does . . .

Truth be told, no card this year. I am just too broke busy. But more than any of the previous excuses, I am soaking up these precious few holiday moments. So Merry Christmas to each of you!!

"I bring you good news of great joy to all people. The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy kids. Happy Thanksgiving.