Miracle Brick Lay

 I finally found time

to "lay" the brick chimney in the kitchen.

I had used this product on an office building project,

we put it in the basement, to give it a "loft"feel.

I loved it, and saved the leftovers.

It's a wallpaper product, from Lowe's

and I'm now a big fan.

It comes pre-pasted and only needs to be dipped into water

to activate the paste.

On the office project, I papered to large walls

And I've had so many people walk in

and feel the wall, to see if it's real or faux.

I had lots of little scraps left over that I had saved,

so I pieced them together,

which was a bit like putting a really bad puzzle together.

I love how it came out.

Before:

 And after:

 We just ordered our countertops--finally!

The kitchen has been in for almost a year,

and we had grand plans of making concrete countertops,

but our prototypes just weren't working out very well.

Myron isn't a guy who loves a project that require experimentation.

He'd rather have a tried and true method,

so the whole project just frustrated him.

We both decided it's been long enough, and we're ready to have a finished kitchen.

 And in case we forget,

Here's a picture of how the whole room looked,

almost 2 years ago, before we started this whole crazy project.

Tea for Little Girls

Our family was blessed 

To have another family (of 8!) move in with us for a few weeks.

They are missionaries in Honduras and have been in the states

For some rest and to find their purpose again.

While they were here, their youngest daughter had a birthday

And since she's never celebrated with friends in the states,

We had a tea party to celebrate.

 I've got to admit, this tea wasn't my idea

Hannah's mom thought it up and I just went along with it.

She made all the food, and I dug out the decor to with it.

Each of the girls got a porcelain doll as a party favor.

They were all smitten, and we won't tell them

That they were only a few dollars from the local Salvo

 The food was all so yummy...

Cucumber/cream cheese sandwiches, chicken salad on crousant,

Strawberries, cupcakes, piroulines, and tea

I had picked up the tea service below

At a yard sale, wondering what in the world I'd ever do with it.

It actually brews coffee and serves it, in one elegant carafe.

So glad I bit for that bargain.

 They served themselves tea and it was so fun

To hear them commenting on what they would have

And whether they "take cream and sugar with that?"

 There were pretty dresses to be worn

 We tried teaching them how to walk like ladies,

Balancing a book on their heads

 And then we took fun pictures,

Just because

It's Why We Love Sundays

At our house, Sunday is a rest day.

We attend church in the evening, and altho it took some getting used to,

Since we were raised going to church every Sunday morning,

We have learned to love our Sunday schedule...or lack of.

We often spend the day doing something together as a family.

In the summer, it could be tennis, biking, swimming, a picnic...

Since the weather is cooling off here,

We wanted to make the most of our time outside this Sunday.

So we headed for a nearby back 40 with the kids.

 There were woods to be explored, 

And teepee's to be built.

Along with the attempted grass mats for flooring

And the stacked cobs of corn for future preservation

 There is something about the smell of fall

And that crunch of leaves

 We took the kids to a pond

And attempted to fish

But apparently our casting skills are rusty

And we had lots of tangled lines, plenty of drowned worm, and too much mud for fish to bite.

 I'm laughing at these pictures

Because if you knew my family,

you'd know that seldom do they wear red neck hats.

 

Or look so much like the kind of dudes that fish, drink beer, and drive big 4x4's

 Oh, it just felt so good to sit, enjoy the sunshine 

And the beginning colors of fall