Project Completed...A While Ago

I just realized, that while I posted pics of our bathroom destroyed, I never posted the amazing completion pics. Dannon did an awesome job! Brushing my teeth and showering has never felt better :)

BEFORE

AFTER!

Amazing. Yes?

It rivals makeover shows hands down. Mostly because it's the size of a closet. I mean really, who else could make a closet look this good?

Oh, and this is just a bonus, but I am in love with my resale shop chair...so in love, that I bought his brother to sit in the dining room. (The spots are on the camera lens, not the chair. Promise.)

Autumn

Welcome turning, welcome change

Welcome graceful dying, glory displayed,

Welcome roots, go deeper still

Welcome snow, welcome chill

Shimmering leaves take in your light

Frame it in those quaking veins

Hold the glow with all your might

But holding light illicits change

For shining you will be for days

A memory of summer's rays

Bring glory to our Source and Light

But when it's done give up the fight

Fall down upon the forest floor

Not in defeat or loss or shame

But because you thirst for more

For you reflect your Maker's name

Remember the promise of spring and rain

Of height and depth and broader views

The promise that you won't be the same

But more of Him and less of you

cAmping

Just a few delayed pictures of our camping trip. Such a beautiful place we live! We feel so blessed!

First camp site

My Morning

So pretty! 

Dannon at work :)

Can't believe we live here! 

Second camp site

I think out of all of us, Zeke had the most fun.

Redemption

I don't understand how God works. I don't understand how he takes a broken world and infinitely broken people and makes lovely things. But nevertheless, there lie the beautiful things right among the broken.

The problem is that the broken still exists. And the broken can grab and pull and steal the glory if you let it. It can instill fear and cast shadows and one may begin to think it has the upper hand. But the sweet truth is that we were made to see beauty; to dwell with Beauty Himself. And we must not lose sight of Him. For the Beauty, Love, and Life that is Him wins. Redemption wins.

So I refuse to let fear seep into my heart. I refuse to let the twisted world distort my perspective. Redemption will be my song. And the Redeemer will be my defender. So sing my friends. Let the broken highlight the lovely and redeemed. See the beauty that He has brought us; His very Kingdom dwells with us.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14

Curtains are Scary

It may sound strange, but curtains scare me. I mean really. There are way to many options. Then you have the blank stares of each lonely pane looking at you expectantly. It's almost more than a girl can take!

So, our nasty inherited plastic blinds hung on the windows for far too long...far. too. long. I don't even know what color they were originally. I tried to clean them. I promise. But when it started creating mud I made the executive decision to take them down.

Then, there was the issue of curtain rods. I just couldn't bare spending money on them. So off into the woods we went to locate some semi-straight trees. Who needs Wal-Mart? Dannon is an excellent curtain rod locator. He won the game, which is fine with me, I got new curtain rods.

Second problem. I hate sewing. And I don't have a sewing machine. But mostly I hate sewing. So, any shortcut I can take, you better believe, I take it. I shouldn't use the word shortcut....I think I will use "innovative thinking". :)

All that to say, I am proud to announce that my house has curtains! I shall share them below.

(Thanks for humoring me on this one, I've only been a wife for 10 months. Gotta revel in the little things)

Living room curtains. Those beautiful curtain rods
were created by Michelle. Love them.

Dining Room Curtains. Dannon and I made these.

So these curtains are brilliant! No credit for myself,
I got the idea off of a blog. Those are just napkins, ya'll. 

Ok, so not exactly curtains. And I nailed them to the ceiling. Don't tell.

There you go friends! That was the most non-serious post ever. Thanks for caring. 

Summer

I am daring to believe that summer has actually arrived. After inches and inches of snow just last week, we have been granted a string of sunny days. Even the aspen leaves brave the season and are slowly uncurling their tightly sealed buds to reveal baby green.

The little hummers have arrived. They are chirping and whirring about the feeder as if they owned the place; lest we forget that we have indeed invaded their summer vacation homes.

The river has swollen up, rushing and tumbling through its bed, pushing it's limits. It carries away the melted memories of snowy peaks and pours itself into the life of our valley.

And, oh the sunshine. Blue skies arch over us, and you can almost taste the warmth. Three months to soak up this shimmer, breathe in the smell of warm earth, feel the sweet, new green. Three months to thaw and stir and stretch out and grow.

Three months to forget the hard frozen season of pushing roots deeper and being laid bare. Three months to relish in promise and water and fresh and new.

Flu

So, I guess I have never had the flu, or at least don't remember it. It's terrible! I have come to this conclusion somewhat second hand watching my poor husband! I had no idea.

In response, I have decided that we should cease calling this illness by its nickname "flu". It makes the virus sound so friendly and common. From now on it should be addressed as INFLUENZA A!
(And I feel that one could gain much more sympathy when telling others what you have)

All I have to say to all the flu survivors out there is way. to. go.

...and that I hope my immune system is stronger than yours. :)

Zeke comforting my influenza a survivor