Florida 2013

Feeling so blessed to have spent a week

in the sunshine with all my kids and grands

And to have my sis and cuz come up for 

a long weekend to vacation too.

The panhandle of Florida is not an area that

a lot of people are familiar with but it has

beautiful beaches, piney woods and 

very Southern accents...

so to me it's the best of both,

especially when you can get the best grits

on the planet at one of the restaurants there:)

Treasures in the Rough

When we were going through 

my Mom's things one of the nieces

found an old spice rack. 

It got put in the throw-away pile

but then same niece said

"Auntie Karen, you should do something wtih

this!" I hesitated because I really didn't know

if it was worth salvaging but 

decided to give it a try...

It ended up turning into a real treasure!

 Also the bed tray below was ugly and dirty

when I bought it for a few bucks and

now it too looks great:)

A Literary Walk #10

 A Walk with Miss Read

aka Dora Saint

The Berkshires

24 miles

 One of my all time favorite series of

books was written by Miss Read.

She has 2 series

Fairacre and

Thrush Green

 I love them both, but the Fairacre books

are my favorites.

They are written from the perspective of

a single lady who is the head school teacher 

in a small village school.

 My favorite quote is

"I woke the next morning to blue skies
and a wonderful sense of freedom.
Lying back on my pillows watching
 the unfurling pink tiny leaves of the copper beech
 fluttering in the morning breeze,
I made plans for my first day of the holidays.
 I should cook bacon as well as an egg."
from Summer at Fairacre

These are the type of books of which

when asked by my sons

"But what happens in the book?!"

I answer with delight

"Absolutely nothing!!"

In other words they are about every day

life and the little intrigues that

happen, which in the end turn out to be 

a storm in a tea cup:)

Happy Clothes

I've been sewing away at the 

childrens clothes

for the upcoming bazaar

on April 27th.

Here is a sneak peak...

Joy Comes in the Morning

Sometimes we know that our heart is 

different than it was the day before

and sometimes we are surprised 

to find joy has returned without

our even realizing it...

and it is always the gentle

Holy Spirit 

who comes and blesses 

us with joy again.

Three Things I love about being a Mom

Thank you to Quiet Ramblings

for nominating me for this award.

Things I love about being a mom

1. Motherhood is the refiners fire that 

changes you from a spoiled girl

to a woman who would do anything on earth

to protect her child.

2. Motherhood helps you understand God's

love in a whole new way, unconditional love

and love given even when there is no  reason

on earth to give it...you give it anyway.

3. Motherhood proves once and for all

that there is nothing we can't do, my doctor

told me once that a mother could be the CEO 

of the biggest corporation and do it better

than any guy...and he is a guy!

I'm passing this award on to 

Orangerie

Kenj has so much real practical ideas

for raising kids as a home school mom,

I think you'll enjoy her take on it.

Ready for to Ride

My bike is all ready for the rides I intend

to take all around town this Spring 

and Summer. 

I found both baskets at GW and painted them

to look like old french baskets.

Now when I ride around I have plenty of

room for groceries or mail etc. 

AND

I will look "tres chic" into the bargain:)