Unexpected Surprises

To My Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov’d by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can in no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.
Then while we live, in love lets so persevere,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Anne Bradstreet (1612-72)


I know exactly what she is talking about.

I received a wonderful gift today and it came out of the blue....and was in a divine blue box. They are lovely....thank you.

At Long Last...

"Dreams carried around in one's heart for years, if they are dreams that have God's approval, have a way of suddenly materializing." ~Catherine Marshall

Divorce can affect a family for generations. My grandparents divorced when my mother was a mere 2 years old and for various reasons, none of which I completely understand, she never saw her father again. In 1976, she received word that her father had passed away and her chance to bond with the man who gave her life was lost.

While I've always been saddened by my mother's lack of a relationship with her own father, what was absolutely heartbreaking was the fact that she did not even know what he looked like. After all, not many memories remain from such a young age.

A mention of a second wife in the obituary was a hope. They corresponded for a while, but the only picture that she had was of him dressed as Santa. It gave Mother nothing.

I'm not sure when the dream was born in my heart to seek someone who could tell us about my grandfather, but a dream it was.

With great happiness I share the news that with the help of Ancestry.com, I have found my mother's long lost family! This past weekend we met for lunch and with God's approval my dream materilized.

I would like to introduce my grandfather, Theodore....

My Symphony

30 Days. Our house has been on the market for 30 days. I must admit to being more than a little depressed by this. After all, our last house sold in only 12 days! I know...it was a completely different market 4 long years ago, but it doesn't make me feel a lot better. I remind myself that this isn't a buyers market or a sellers market...it's God's market. No matter how much I beg and plead He has a plan that will be shown to me in due time. I know, I know....patience.

During my time of waiting, I've wondered where we will end up. A house is such a personal matter. My taste has changed as I've grown older....God bless my husband for not putting up a fuss about the early years of pink and frilly :) While I desire to live in the country with a few acres of solitude, I wonder if that is the best thing for my children. They've always lived in neighborhoods with several friends waiting just outside the door. There is an up and down side to both of these...

What about the physical house itself? I believe we've been programmed to believe that bigger is better, but in my experience it is not true. To this day our family misses our 1,800 square foot Cape Cod "starter" home. We now live in a house that is over 3,000 square feet, but have never loved it like the smaller one. That is exactly what I believe you need to do....truly love your home. Does it need to be perfect? Of course not. Does it need to be professionally decorated? That would be NO. What it does need is to reflect you. What do you love? What do you hold sacred? What matters most?

It is so easy to feel intimidated when reading some of the incredible decorating blogs and don't even get me started on the decorating magazines! They make it look effortless and I often just don't have the extra time or energy to try even half of what they do, but God bless them for doing it. Hopefully someday I will be able to put some of their good ideas to use, but for now I will just enjoy reading about their efforts.

So, while I don't usually have a "picture perfect" home, it does always reflect where my heart is.....


"To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy , not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly,
Talk gently,
Act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully,
Do all bravely,
Await occasions,
Hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony."

By William Henry Channing

(above photo is of the Webster Cottage...the orginal next-to-nothing house)

School Days

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - William Shakespeare

Where did the summer go? With the start of a new school year the crazy level in the house rises. That is 3 children x 3 different schools = insanity! At least they all looked pretty.... l to r: Hayden 3rd grade, Paine 9th grade, and Madeline 6th grade (before "fixin" her hair).

Madeline with her hair all ready :)

Time Out

No, no one is in trouble and put in time out. I'm taking a little bloggy break to drive to Georgia and celebrate the Mr's birthday....Happy 40th!!!!

Tomato Love

We've been visiting my parents over the weekend and look at what I got....



Of course, I had to pick them, but they are so worth it!

I'm thinking tomato pie for dinner tomorrow night.... I'll share to recipe tomorrow.