Lists for The Moving

A List-
 having my own house again
 having a yard that is mostly a clean slate
 being 15 steps from Darrin's work
 quiet, quiet, quiet po-dunk town

S List-
 leaving Mom
 leaving Madi and Tim
 leaving the rest of the fam
 leaving the notJoy and notLolly and KayLynne and Gina and the OverWoods girls
 leaving the awesome music program at ND

Trying Lists-

 trying to make lists of the things that I need to take to live in a place that is 49 miles from the nearest grocery store that sells produce

 trying to be sure I get everything ready here to make mom's transition to caregiver as easy as possible

 trying to not hurt anyone's feelings with my excitement
 

End of Summer Ramblings

Oh yes, friends, it is the end of summer.  If you can believe that.  It may be the shortest on record (so if it's the shortest on record, does that also mean the shortest in history?  Because if history is what is recorded....this is why I shouldn't drink Coke at the church picnic at 8 o'clock at night.)

So when summer started, (sometime around the 20th of July. Pfft.) I had all kinds of stuff to do and get ready for and absolutely no energy to do ANY of it.  I am blaming the weather for my general malaise, but it was probably a combo of just plain too much to do and the an inability to organize my time and lack of recognition that emotional strength must be conserved just as physical is.

Well, now the big stuff is done and I feel all miraculously better (weird isn't it?) and it's fall...my favorite time of year.  In my brain, (which works WAAAY different than most people's with letters and numbers having gender and personality and the months of the year being a big kidney bean shaped affair) late summer and fall hold a huge portion of my mental calendar.  When it's your own calender you can emphasize any portion you want, right?  Except I came this way. 

The real reason I am blogging, though, in my caffeine and sugar induced insomnia, is to post some pictures of Madi's wedding (and instead I am treating you to the Grand Tour of my true strangeness) so here you go...with commentary.

When Madi and I were wandering the woods looking for misc. forest "stuff" for her bouquet, we saw that the lighting was so pretty up here in the afternoon, we thought it would be perfect for the "just the two of them" shots.

These two just crack me up and Madi probably won't use them anywhere so I get to here.

One of the few serious faces and I like the

light and it was kind of the eye of the storm of activity that crazy day. 

My favorite.  I love everyone in one place, lookin' so good. I think it will be the Christmas card.  :)

There are about 50 that I would like to put up of the pre-wedding bridal party shots but I'll limit to one. 

 KayLynne and Joy did such an unbelievable job on the photos.  Because I love them so much and because they know the kids and love them, too, it wasn't weird or uncomfortable having them snapping away all day. I can't even begin to say thank you for all that they did.

So.  I am now a Mother-In-Law.  Everyone keeps asking how it is.  It's good. Very.  I believe in marrying young. I believe it can keep us from  many regrets...especially when God is in the middle, as he is for these two.  I hope that they get to wait a while to have kids, just so they can enjoy this time in their lives that is the only "just the two of us" time they will have.  But whenever Ben and Lucy come, I will be ready to be the gum carrying, stream wading, mud pie making Yaya.

July Compy Fast

Instead of taking just Sunday off of the computer, I have decided to take all of next week off.  If any great revelations come of this, I'll let you know next Saturday. :)

Artsy Pics and Thankfulness for the Weather

 Madi needed to get some wiggles out yesterday 

so she took a good bunch of pictures of all kinds

of interesting things around the place.

Like my dog.  From dog level. Up the dirty porch ramp. Nice pooch...not so good porch.

 This one was my request. Poor girl got my sausage fingers and my simple, silver taste in jewelry.

Here are the chosen ones.  The Babies that lived through the weasel and will be installed as my greenhouse companions. His name is Rupert and I believe I'll call her Rapunzel, after one of my favorite fairy tales. Though she probably won't have long flowing hair.

Oh, and IT'S SUMMER!

Just in case you've missed it.

Spring? Hello? Are You There?

I have almost entirely, completely, totally made the decision to garden in the greenhouse alone this spring of cussedness.  The picture on the left is the greenhouse, with things that I planted growing.  The one on the right is a wooden box that has been repurposed (again) into a greens bed.  The picture on the bottom is the "garden."  Just hideous isn't it?  The greens are growing, coddled and sheltered and loved at the door to the greenhouse.  The tomatoes are happy and glad to be in the nice toasty bag of potting soil.  The peas are spitting out babies like no body's business. And the "garden" is a sickening tangle of half cocked plans of mulching and carpet killing and "this year it will be better" plans...all gone awry.  Perhaps after a week or two of HUGE does of capsulated vitamin D3, I might tackle it.  Or I may just weedwhack it throughout this year and see what 2012 brings.

Here are the survivors.  All four of them.  Poor babies had to watch their siblings get weaseled and in retaliation, three of them are roosters.  Anyone want a sweet Silkie boy?

A Poser....

of the question kind not of the pretending to be something you aren't type.  


I have been blessed with long-living grandparents.  I still have three out of four on the planet and have spent so much time with all of them it seems strange that I have not made this observation before.


One of my grandmothers is prejudice and judgemental and seldom has a good word for anyone.  One is accepting and kind and has trouble asking for help even when she really needs it.  Now the question is...which one do you think is in church every Sunday that she is able?  Its door number two.  Why is that?  Is it a lack in the church's teaching?  Is it "calling Me Lord, and knowing me not"?  


In all honesty, the two people in my life who are most loving and unselfish are NOT church goers.  Grandma P and Mom don't profess any sort of belief and yet they are examples of what Jesus calls us to be.  I need help understanding.

Is it Possible....

....to link?  Here is a sweet little column for Mother's Day.


http://www.registerguard.com/web/livinglifestyles/26203998-41/cleo-jenny-didn-baby-cat.html.csp


However I think I may have missed Dorcas's point.  My favorite part of the whole article is her by-line. 


"Dorcas Smucker is a homemaker and mother of six. She can be reached at dorcassmucker@gmail.com."  


She is one of my favorite authors and still she describes herself as a homemaker.  She does all kinds of interesting things and writes truth to salve the soul but her claim to fame is making a home for her family. I love that.