A Good Purchase

Nearly 22 years ago hubby and I bought this bird feeder. It was probably one of the first "non necessities" we purchased together - we were so poor back then!!! It proved to be a good investment though - it's still around and in fact it has hung in this very same spot for over 18 years!!!

I don't fill it now as I feel badly about luring sweet finches, juncos and chickadees to my yard only to have the kitty cat chase them - someday I will be catless and I will fill it again. In the mean-time I love looking at that rustic bird feeder hanging in my pie cherry tree.

I love the collection of mosses and lichens that now adorn the roof!!

It's like a little world all in it's own!! God is so creative!!!! And yes - the winter rains did return to our neck of the woods - but my little daffs are blooming away!!

Spring is on it's way!!

Blessings!!

Christine

A New Week

For Today...February 22, 2010

Outside My Window...A bright sunny morning - what a mild February we've had!!! I have heard that the rains are returning this week though. I better enjoy it today!!

I Am Thankful For...Major chores that were bothering me are now out of the way - feels good to have those off my plate!!!

I am Remembering...The very cold and snowy winter we had last year - when the icicles were as long as my arm hanging off my roof!!!

I am Creating...a new throw for my living room. My old ones are getting tattered with heavy use. Time for something different!!

I am Reading...A Louis L'Amor western that I got from the thrift store for a few cents. I love old westerns - fun reading!! And of course my Bible - I am rereading Matthew.

I am Hoping...We hear good news of a new opportunity this week from my hubby's interview last week!!! He's thinks it went well but it's all up to God!!!

On My Mind...too many thing that I really shouldn't be worrying about!! I HATE anxiety but sometimes it just seems to come a make a home in my brain!!!

From the Learning Rooms...Getting back into it after a break. Getting restarted is sometimes challenging especially when the weather is so nice - but by tomorrow the rains will be back and the kiddos will not be staring out the window longingly :0)!!

I am Noticing...my kids seem to be far more cheerful with their siblings when they are sharing tidy rooms with more room to play!!!

I am Pondering...the words to the hymn I heard yesterday (the one I posted yesterday as well) I KNOW my Redeemer LIVES!!!! Praise His Name!!!!

From the Kitchen...Smoothies this morning and chicken wraps for lunch. I'm thinks Spaghetti for dinner.

Around the House...a huge tidy up and getting caught back up in the laundry - I got behind with all my other big projects last week.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...Company for dinner tomorrow, regular school activities this week. Back to a regular running around :0)!!!

A Picture I am Sharing...Playing with our pretty rocks



For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
Have a blessed Monday!!!

~Christine

I Know That My Redeemer Lives!!

I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.(I LOVE this verse!!!)

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His Name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Samuel Medley, 1775
lyrics from http://www.nethymnal.org/

No Search Party Needed

Nope, no need to send in a search party!! I got the job done - and I decided to take advantage of my cleaning frenzy and move on to the kids rooms!! Ahh - now there was an opportunity to get lost in a mess forever!!! But in spite of the very, very tempting warm and sunny weather outside, I stuck to it and got the job done. And not to pat myself on the back too much - I must say that I am proud of myself for persevering!!

Our room - all neat and tidy - my place of refuge!!:

The boys room - Every lego, k'nex, hotwheels, and toy soldier in their place. Every nerf dart and baseball has a home!!

Sleep tight my little men!!!

Every polly pocket, littlest pet shop, hair bow, bobby pin and piece of clothing all tucked away. Every dolly and her dresses and teddy bear snuggled in their beds!!

Sweet dreams my little ladies!!!
Oh this was a big, big job, but boy, do I feel good!!! I rearranged furniture to create more room. I made special places for the bigger kids stuff so that little fingers can not pry anymore. And put things in new containers so that everything has a home. I think the rooms will be so much easier for the kids to maintain and so much more fun to play and sleep in!!!

Now to go and sit in the sun with my crochet hook and a ball of yarn - I need a rest!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Dirty Toothbrushes and Other Stuff

So why is my toothbrush soaking in soap and boiling water? I wish I could say it is because I'm so together that I wash all toothbrushes after we've been sick (a good idea!) but really this toothbrush cleaning comes as a result of a busy little toddler dropping my toothbrush into the diaper pail - YUCK!!!!

It's things like that all day long, that may be the reason why the top of my fridge gets to looking like this:

Since it's mid-winter break around here for all the schools I decided to take some time and get those long needed tasks done - with help of course:

Better - don't you think? Now to keep those taller people in my home from putting stuff back up there!!!:

While I was in the kitchen I decided to empty my pantries and get them back in order:
With more help:
Tu-dum - back the way I like them:
By the way - do you see that jar of Smuckers Raspberry Jam at the bottom of my canning pantry? For the life of me, I can not figure out why my sweet husband bought that - we have a pantry full of raspberry jam made with berries hand picked by him!! Must have been a tiny senior moment - or he was really hungry!! This is the danger of having a second job at a grocery store in the evenings :0)!! Today it's my room and closet - if you don't hear from me send in a search party!!!

Blessings!

~Christine

Around the Next Curve

Our family loves to take long drives - to travel down country roads we've never been on before. The unusual sunny February we have been having just begs us to go and see what's around the next curve!!

Some scenes from yesterday's jaunt:

Away we go:
Oddly enough the further North we traveled the more advanced Spring became - I found this beautiful tree at a park where we stopped to play.

I love "snooping" - looking in people's yards - sometimes you see cute things like baby goats or big fat brown pigs or old trucks that have been left behind!!

Some swans wintering over - waiting for their northern homes to defrost so they can raise new families. We have many flocks of swans and snow geese winter in the fields here:
Mount Baker - one of the gorgeous mountains surrounding our home:

Some pretty barns:

Sleeping babies:

More sleeping babies:

My dream home with accompanying barn and fields - wouldn't it be a wonderful place to raise kids?!!!
Even though I dream of raising my children in a place like that, I am truly content with my home in the suburbs - we have a big yard in a very old neighborhood that has a real country feel - so I can sometimes pretend we live way out in farmland :0)!!

God knows what we need and has placed us where He wants us - and I am so thankful we are close enough to real country that we can go anytime we like!!

Speaking of God knowing what we need: My husband has a job interview this week with a company that approached him. He has worked for fourteen years with our local hospital system - working with their computers. Lately though the job has felt less secure (not surprising!!) and the politics have gotten pretty intense. Sooo - with all this taken into consideration we are hopeful that this will be a new opportunity for him. We would appreciate prayer that the interviews will go well (he has two on Thursday) and the financial needs of our family would be met etc. We would love prayer for wisdom if this turns into a time of decision making!!!

Thank you and

Blessings,

Christine

Evening

This is how I spent my evening - until long after the kiddies were in bed - this is one way I show them I love them:

Hubs also likes it when I love my family this way:

Packed up to share with the kid's friends at co-op tomorrow:

And so the festivities begin!!!

Valentines - the holiday of love - may your weekend be filled with lots and lots!!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Touch of Spring

I know other parts of our country are still in the throes of winter but here in Washington State we are experiencing a touch of Spring. I have heard that Winter will be returning soon so we decided to take advantage of our mild weather and plant a couple of bare root apple trees:

Our helper:

Baby tree:

Yummy Gala apples coming soon:

And the pretty little Fuji:
Oh, I am looking forward to the yummy fruit we will be harvesting someday!! Planting a tree is really looking ahead isn't it? Planning for a delicious future!! I am hoping to plant a plum and a pear tree this Spring also. Taking advantage of our Springlike moment is really pretty fun!

Blessings,

~Christine

The Big City

Sometimes a person has to get out and have an adventure - to get out and go where they are not accustomed to go!! That for us is the city. We live near a very beautiful city but we don't go there often at all - we're country folk and when we go out we tend to go north to the country - not south to the city. But on this particular day last weekend hubs decided we needed to see something different - so off to the city we went (with much trepidation on my part - I am sincerely not a city girl!!)

And so we arrive - cars and building galore:

And off we go on our adventure:

Out of my comfort zone - but willing to see what we could see:

This is a gorgeous theater - very, very fancy on the inside - I see they are playing South Pacific - someday I would like to get all dressed up and see the Phantom of the Opera there - sounds very romantic!!! Don't you just love those old street lights?!!!

Looking in the windows - isn't that a beautiful gown!!!!

Not my style but very fancy none-the-less!!!
A Valentine display - The girls and I had fun looking in these windows for sure!!
But this charming model was far prettier than anything in the windows :0) !!!
A very interesting ride - we saw the man driving this creation and he wore an ancient Roman style helmet - covered with flowers - very strange. We saw lots of strange and interesting people that day!!!
In our earthquake prone city I was fascinated by this building:
A very beautiful square - a nice resting place if it was dry and sunny - which it wasn't - but the pigeons didn't seem to mind.

All in all it was a wonderful day - seeing what we could see in the big city. Adventures are good things every now and again!!!!!
Blessing,
~Christine