tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88311644613333481082023-11-16T06:06:48.955-08:00Further Up and Further In"We press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-79386605781982866712011-05-30T12:15:00.000-07:002011-05-30T13:42:51.238-07:00Announcement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've begun a new blog. It's a new era for us, and time for a change. <br />
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Saturday, we had our offer accepted on the land we picked out. We will close on July 13. From there, we will begin building our new home. :) <br />
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Follow along with us on our journey at this new site: <a href="http://handtotheplough.blogspot.com/">Hand To The Plough</a></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-77465257049518516032011-05-26T21:48:00.000-07:002011-05-26T21:48:02.732-07:00Answering Those Questions:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, a lot of you have been asking the question, "Why build, instead of buy?" Here's my answer.<br />
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In Virginia, an older home with some need for TLC would be an awesome investment. You'd have those great wood floors, gorgeous molding, staircases with drama, beautiful "bones", etc., and you could come out on top by fixing up bathrooms and kitchen. My friend, <a href="http://happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com/">Hosanna</a>, has a home like that. However, in Washington state (at least, in this city).....we don't have "lovely old homes in need of TLC." We have homes built in the 70's or 80's in need of TLC. They're almost all "doublewide" type homes, too...Washington is famous for its low-roofed, ranch-style, porchless types. They remind me of glorified campers.<br />
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I suspect the reason for that has to do with Washington *ahem* not having been settled until more recently....it doesn't have the "colonial era" homes that Virginia does. Plus, it was settled by hippies...who <i>live</i> in campers. LOL!<br />
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There are very few things in our area (Lacey, WA) on the market right now for around $200,000 (our spending limit) that offer 3 bedrooms, an area (den) to teach piano in, and a lot of promise for beautiful upgrades (and hopefully, a yard). Here are some links showing you what's for sale in our desired location that is within our price range:<br />
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<a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3029018696-7522-13th-Ave-SE-Lacey-WA-98503">Link 1</a> Leaves a little room price-wise for some upgrades, but will still always look like a doublewide on the outside<br />
<a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3045895594-922-Pacific-Park-Dr-SE-Lacey-WA-98503">Link 2</a> Has a fairly nice upgraded kitchen (not my style), but a very tiny back yard, and some weird, outdated features, such as the wall of wood paneling in the living room. Also, the exterior is less than beautiful, too.<br />
<a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/1048941742-811-Oakcrest-Dr-SE-Lacey-WA-98503">Link 3</a> Another house, near the square footage of the one we're going to build, and closer to 200K. Leaves money for only a couple upgrades, and still leaves us with a tiny backyard, and.....a red doublewide.<br />
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None of these would give us much equity if we put some upgrades into them. Even with new windows and flooring and cabinets, scrubbed & polished & painted---you still have a low profile, ranch-style, not-very-pretty home. Sadly. All of them. We have been watching this trend continue for months, now. Then.......we found <a href="http://www.adairhomes.com/">Adair Homes</a>.<br />
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Adair Homes offers a <i>few</i> selections within our price range. They're not a custom-home company. They are a "Costco" of home building supply. With their home-building scheme, we are encouraged to do a lot of the work in the building and lot preparation ourselves. This saves us money, project by project, and gives us a brand new home at the end, complete with a lot the size we picked. We are NOT encouraged to draw up our own home plan and change things as we go. We had around 4 plans to pick from, and we went with the 1643 (square ft.) plan.<br />
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We expect to invest around $220,000 in the actual supplies, land, and labor, and end up with a 1643 sf home on 1/3 acre lot appraised at around $300,000. This is based on the data we read about others who had completed projects with Adair. When we finish our home, we'll have spent the same amount we would have ended up spending with a "fixer-upper" only we have not just an "ok" kitchen, or "refinished wood flooring" but a hand-picked kitchen, a modern open floor-plan, a studio for 2 pianos, and brand new Shaw wood floors.<br />
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Granted, we will be working our butts off, just as one might if one purchased an older home and put upgrades in it. BUT we will have a VERY NEW AND MODERN home to sell (should we choose to) in 5-10 years. It will be nice to move into a brand newly-built home after having put the "sweat equity" into building it rather than moving into a place that require months of work, bit by bit, putting up with the mess as we go.<br />
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Know this, however, East Coasters: were we to be able to find a deal like <a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3044176150-844-Rivermont-Ave-Lynchburg-VA-24504">THIS ONE</a> or <a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/1090657605-1303-Campbell-Ave-Lynchburg-VA-24501">THIS ONE</a> or <a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3052472115-302-7th-St-Lynchburg-VA-24504">THIS ONE</a> (OMG, OMG!!) or <a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/3051590658-2772-Campbell-Ave-Lynchburg-VA-24501">THIS ONE</a> ............well, let me just say.....we'd have bought it already, and be working on it RIGHT NOW. I mean.....we <i>bought a subscription to "This Old House"!! </i>It's like...in my blood. I grew up in an old home. I am not kidding when I say, "The 1634 by Adair is NOT my dream home." But, it's a good investment for this area. If we needed to move for some reason....we have a lot of good stuff to show for our work. We expect, in 7 years, to have a pretty bangin' newer, beautiful, modern home to sell.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">ANYHOW. Without further ado, here is the final choice (I know it's different from Facebook's post, but...we're still vacillating.) ..... </div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYAY3y9HvG0R67iS99K_h6tPoB3lLo6B8NnnlMdIT-MR5cVyP45VckSgc6hA8oMwQzl7WsYot5X7H_igfxwQi8XQW_zdysQ-KFrJkEZvWmhyphenhyphenDQzRmk_R6HGFh3Y9kCNaar2qyj_9TXqo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-26+at+9.33.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYAY3y9HvG0R67iS99K_h6tPoB3lLo6B8NnnlMdIT-MR5cVyP45VckSgc6hA8oMwQzl7WsYot5X7H_igfxwQi8XQW_zdysQ-KFrJkEZvWmhyphenhyphenDQzRmk_R6HGFh3Y9kCNaar2qyj_9TXqo/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-26+at+9.33.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0X2FrFCstO36B9BbDk3a84sfnovrPb4R8_wnzJhdRP6I26qQ3XMtT7ZkAajuZC50bLgZaj61oybl7VsgXfxxxbok58-kVwDBjibANkTcFNXkF39ktYPsXZyGV5xN9UiGDIzHqnWUsgs/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-26+at+9.34.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0X2FrFCstO36B9BbDk3a84sfnovrPb4R8_wnzJhdRP6I26qQ3XMtT7ZkAajuZC50bLgZaj61oybl7VsgXfxxxbok58-kVwDBjibANkTcFNXkF39ktYPsXZyGV5xN9UiGDIzHqnWUsgs/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-26+at+9.34.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The only change we will be making is to build a wall on the left just as you walk in the front door to enclose that "sitting room" into a studio for my 2 (hopefully 2, by then) pianos. The lot we picked is on a busier street...hopefully a good location to put a sign up for my business.<br />
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Final Announcement:<br />
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<i>We put an offer on the land today. :D :D :D :D</i></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-5712983968943916602011-05-24T21:16:00.000-07:002011-05-24T21:18:11.374-07:00More Money-Saving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Would you believe me if I told you that TODAY.......we just bought THIS?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoUyoIZiKPl_ZqPLrYgmBOHtoCZptoRIJdbTk_QihD25gYvbTQR_AFb0F_yIyq5F6r7EPvbeOqedOSn20x4GECmACdf7x9dsIJH-GIFXcVM6WBpHzJq3WxZ-KVjkkeucCECfbhuWj1-o/s1600/Prius.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoUyoIZiKPl_ZqPLrYgmBOHtoCZptoRIJdbTk_QihD25gYvbTQR_AFb0F_yIyq5F6r7EPvbeOqedOSn20x4GECmACdf7x9dsIJH-GIFXcVM6WBpHzJq3WxZ-KVjkkeucCECfbhuWj1-o/s320/Prius.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Yep. It's a Toyota Prius. In the interest of saving even more money for our new home, we traded in the mammoth gas-hog, known as X-Terra:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnuBPQ-dZR9avLSf8RiAL0bQSB6yyKiLvAb0TWCY8zKlgsbkW2LaEJ_k2FicIAAwMmOlnOnJI0FlhFN_8Mxvmj-1P1zt_2VR1zumYHezrlgUvsxcMkQnIfsjaCmAEfo81fha1dmb20Kw/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-24+at+9.11.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnuBPQ-dZR9avLSf8RiAL0bQSB6yyKiLvAb0TWCY8zKlgsbkW2LaEJ_k2FicIAAwMmOlnOnJI0FlhFN_8Mxvmj-1P1zt_2VR1zumYHezrlgUvsxcMkQnIfsjaCmAEfo81fha1dmb20Kw/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-24+at+9.11.11+PM.png" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I can't say I was too sad to see it go.....Violet & I both decided we like the "green car" better. :) It should cost us (we predict) 1/3 the money in gas per month. It feels, actually, pretty roomy inside. I was surprised when we hooked up the car seats and took it for a spin. It's used, so the leather seats it boasted were a bit more affordable. Wow, leather seats make it really easy to twist around and tend to children in the back seat! They also make it pretty comfy for long rides: it's easier to slip and slide your bottom around and get more COMFY! The hatch back makes for a great diaper-changing station.....and the elbow room in the back seat made us suspect we could even fit a 3rd child in there.....should that event come to pass in the d i s t a n t future. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We really hope the gas savings will give us more and more spare change to put into our closing costs, and any upgrades or unforeseen "projects" we might have to do during this home-building process.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tomorrow Ben & our Adair representative meet the excavator at the lot we picked out. Soon, we will be making an offer, signing papers, and starting to DIG!</div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-45952954756893598762011-05-11T14:01:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:52:32.802-07:00Bedroom Favorites: Hello, Gray!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last year we spent 11 months in Virginia, living in a townhouse rental. When I arrived, the walls were all kinds of weird colors. One bedroom was orange, one was gray, and the furniture in the gray room was painted a Chinese Red Lacquer, complete with silver spray-painted metal hardware. Not only that, but at the top of the wall was a "Carolina Blue" stripe, about 8 inches long. It was pretty nauseating. I say that...because being newly pregnant, lots of things nauseated me. :)<br />
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Here's what it was looking like:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXWFFivwGxXaUo8xznpIuVKBsONLZOIcDqj8NrT4b1ro_C7g8sydmGaPRdMAAKErcneiycJLEhfTgzSrFaSYFsFyzsFWfDGFojoe79TKcehtRs_uAObudL1_XUyx_4j4KJfhHEVtoErg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.18.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXWFFivwGxXaUo8xznpIuVKBsONLZOIcDqj8NrT4b1ro_C7g8sydmGaPRdMAAKErcneiycJLEhfTgzSrFaSYFsFyzsFWfDGFojoe79TKcehtRs_uAObudL1_XUyx_4j4KJfhHEVtoErg/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.18.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
WIth this color blue stripe:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcZrHLx5wxFwfn_qA1b7tx8F2LVGybXSw4tJ-ZGHcgmtIG2jKe6rcTG5JkNwOfwLDm4XbNhTmbiiv1CCMerbncz166wciKIRnsc2g9EVzCs_dQg1Ssa8Tl_s5Ls2p33JvHSczKwVm1-0/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.20.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcZrHLx5wxFwfn_qA1b7tx8F2LVGybXSw4tJ-ZGHcgmtIG2jKe6rcTG5JkNwOfwLDm4XbNhTmbiiv1CCMerbncz166wciKIRnsc2g9EVzCs_dQg1Ssa8Tl_s5Ls2p33JvHSczKwVm1-0/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.20.10+PM.png" width="233" /></a></div>I agonized over that stripe....and dreaded going to bed at night because of it. The landlords told me I couldn't paint, so I slapped this up there as a last resort. (textured, paintable wallpaper in cream color.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0syGKDGKJieKBNhV1tavVd3HpZhyphenhyphenraIHkDhH45urW1AQCc5B7tlta9wG8KJ8npKkVGD3hW1k2hOsBskpU-dHdV_aRgWs_zS8D2HPbvblvfVzkaxVtaDYiH-ElvP5UWHQ2Ej7cFDvVD9Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.22.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0syGKDGKJieKBNhV1tavVd3HpZhyphenhyphenraIHkDhH45urW1AQCc5B7tlta9wG8KJ8npKkVGD3hW1k2hOsBskpU-dHdV_aRgWs_zS8D2HPbvblvfVzkaxVtaDYiH-ElvP5UWHQ2Ej7cFDvVD9Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.22.48+PM.png" /></a></div>...........and LO....it looked awesome. Not only that, but I paired it with my grandmother's maple furniture.....and a creamy sheepskin rug....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhWTi3lpA_5YvwxsiLS42owmI4Lkgej9R4RTRHow1Mamz8aT4O5dS70_dvKUbSV8g5nsOgjZR-L4qe4sXfppco85OdOrSNpuzlT_3ivvOG1Fg6N2JGgQ3htOgtvlC4EvWLSU54sUaPc8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.26.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhWTi3lpA_5YvwxsiLS42owmI4Lkgej9R4RTRHow1Mamz8aT4O5dS70_dvKUbSV8g5nsOgjZR-L4qe4sXfppco85OdOrSNpuzlT_3ivvOG1Fg6N2JGgQ3htOgtvlC4EvWLSU54sUaPc8/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.26.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>I discovered GRAY.<br />
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Now I am obsessed with it. Especially in a bedroom. It is so restful.....so aged.....so timeless.....the essence of softness. It makes me sleepy just looking at it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sXFP9_9CNPezPY66kxqEhYCp_pqy5d5UT_YHuk3pYyRxJACTPMbpMixa17nS-a68g1UwK2sRFfWT55spNwlANGRXvN6ty77jwu6s45IqGIgk4rASA7-_IP_0IO53DtHqEjJkBdNeOVg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.30.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sXFP9_9CNPezPY66kxqEhYCp_pqy5d5UT_YHuk3pYyRxJACTPMbpMixa17nS-a68g1UwK2sRFfWT55spNwlANGRXvN6ty77jwu6s45IqGIgk4rASA7-_IP_0IO53DtHqEjJkBdNeOVg/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.30.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6h2dCxJXxtlC_sAjkX5SE7jsUHwtu_5fCiF9IUwxhPEixwRoLG2RRSRZR-jp8Y2vcoH48TmvlAI2z6ZO9hyphenhyphenVCNkgO8iqzUAQ5AC6NIof544iWc_CoCfo8-B30YTnWSKT8ZYWQyo60WU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.30.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6h2dCxJXxtlC_sAjkX5SE7jsUHwtu_5fCiF9IUwxhPEixwRoLG2RRSRZR-jp8Y2vcoH48TmvlAI2z6ZO9hyphenhyphenVCNkgO8iqzUAQ5AC6NIof544iWc_CoCfo8-B30YTnWSKT8ZYWQyo60WU/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.30.53+PM.png" width="231" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfId98BS4N_cGSILQnb6RgjkgwdEO6vw_BN3vCAI21ukx5ykd3DsHyEmrtOWNGftWXKFbGQ1LRFgE3_Ellk5YvpynEkS1K8DmqVfv7XgUQcBzBm5Wek6EmQIcPfWrFQt0y_JMRaZ7g0Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.33.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfId98BS4N_cGSILQnb6RgjkgwdEO6vw_BN3vCAI21ukx5ykd3DsHyEmrtOWNGftWXKFbGQ1LRFgE3_Ellk5YvpynEkS1K8DmqVfv7XgUQcBzBm5Wek6EmQIcPfWrFQt0y_JMRaZ7g0Q/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-11+at+2.33.36+PM.png" width="299" /></a></div>By the way....is it GREY or GRAY? I adore how natural textures (stone, wood, furs, straw/grasses, shell, and even water) all flow smoothly through the greys. It's a short step to get botanicals of all shapes, textures, and colors to also compliment grays in a room. Something very dear to my heart....botanical...<br />
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Anyhow. Hope you enjoyed strolling through my design dreams. Only a couple short weeks, now, till we know if we are going to be building a home or not!</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-2144811016147898622011-05-02T21:21:00.000-07:002011-05-02T21:21:42.147-07:00Favorite Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm trying to conjure up "my favorite kitchen" these days. It takes me a while to figure out what I like. I have to delve through photos and blogs and examples on the internet for days before a pattern starts to emerge. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"What do I like in a kitchen?" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been bugging me since we started discussing the possibility of building a home. Well, something finally popped out at me today while I was google-imaging. (is that a word?) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Black cabinets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At first I was bothered by it. Why does that look so attractive? What about that is making me so excited? Scroll through and look at some, if you would.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Oh yeah, I am LOVING a faucet over the stove...how brilliant is that??!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHv3NU5jGfc80c_wl0ONmsvfQwncPZKHnziBKP2UI1uCQ6Fw1qgz4XmE56oMytepI9ZTbuKoLMbzu-4ry9c8vHVE0GSdKsligLfoB0NO9UGwVe64B8XMrqLahqv9UnLSv-cvdBZiP-Wg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.10.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHv3NU5jGfc80c_wl0ONmsvfQwncPZKHnziBKP2UI1uCQ6Fw1qgz4XmE56oMytepI9ZTbuKoLMbzu-4ry9c8vHVE0GSdKsligLfoB0NO9UGwVe64B8XMrqLahqv9UnLSv-cvdBZiP-Wg/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.10.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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In particular this one caught my eye (below), and I saw the "french hens" and something began to make sense. The black & white speckled french hen, coupled usually with creams, yellows, and red....brightly colored ceramic dishes, and racks and racks of wine. Also usually some wire mesh coverings on the cabinet doors, and some criss-cross wood panes on the glass cabinets. I'm thinking this is treading close to French country.<br />
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Here are a few more that stood out to me:<br />
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Especially this one, below. Something about the exquisite combination of old and new, clean and simple with delicacies, the oh-so-necessary botanical element, and the craving for stone (on top of the armoire), and iron. All completely satisfied. This.............this room is definitely All Me.<br />
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This kitchen with its black and white tile reminds me of something else I know I love: Maxfield Parrish.<br />
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Here are some Parrish paintings. You can see the use of the black and white checker pattern in his art.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5ZRzXPCL_VtmJBZXk4xvQJeGQiqTl88A1KwnnkdwUZoJuQDDzt3z5dJMwzw3dMjzjTjofw-0HQ7gBCePglukvGH5zFcGG4SiydOvFzMFUykVBS5T-4jZWwfxOG1VfXEjhrz6yhn0A3o/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.56.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5ZRzXPCL_VtmJBZXk4xvQJeGQiqTl88A1KwnnkdwUZoJuQDDzt3z5dJMwzw3dMjzjTjofw-0HQ7gBCePglukvGH5zFcGG4SiydOvFzMFUykVBS5T-4jZWwfxOG1VfXEjhrz6yhn0A3o/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.56.58+PM.png" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BpB-BYb_5bTFLH19APMEsseAtnmEMaa6HvhrTqnolC_ST2BqOfSVTqGDt4OWDroaCtw-MXFipoaYPJBgFaG3mZBvJa1khyphenhyphenQc23qW78nNv4FX-f0YG3JbOva3gW6e_pbCa0yrlDdRhbo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.55.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BpB-BYb_5bTFLH19APMEsseAtnmEMaa6HvhrTqnolC_ST2BqOfSVTqGDt4OWDroaCtw-MXFipoaYPJBgFaG3mZBvJa1khyphenhyphenQc23qW78nNv4FX-f0YG3JbOva3gW6e_pbCa0yrlDdRhbo/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.55.32+PM.png" width="250" /></a></div><br />
He did do some paintings that were more than kitchens. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tN0sLKmnUJEQMXpZLXrCn7CTUn_9TU_t1QbGX8VvdRxCYbgwmdVZ-pGvueKCScb7lhOzYtuYw6hRV_NTPTh0YPe2oSjL52Pacr9MIjhveBiAIqLBrUuYw9K32c-srdN8-61h6qAem18/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.45.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tN0sLKmnUJEQMXpZLXrCn7CTUn_9TU_t1QbGX8VvdRxCYbgwmdVZ-pGvueKCScb7lhOzYtuYw6hRV_NTPTh0YPe2oSjL52Pacr9MIjhveBiAIqLBrUuYw9K32c-srdN8-61h6qAem18/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.45.48+PM.png" width="259" /></a></div>And not all caricatures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AwLsD0-_htrQQM4oyf_4Nnde3kZd4LdqkphAtYVkiujOY4Y2efQ2n435m7ap7y23lCSoq1Nu__hfgIdjLROUIYt9fchlQC5qB9sZ3I_A7pSZkWxnzBZDjD_GuOhyphenhyphentJu7b6P7cnuw-t4/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.56.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AwLsD0-_htrQQM4oyf_4Nnde3kZd4LdqkphAtYVkiujOY4Y2efQ2n435m7ap7y23lCSoq1Nu__hfgIdjLROUIYt9fchlQC5qB9sZ3I_A7pSZkWxnzBZDjD_GuOhyphenhyphentJu7b6P7cnuw-t4/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+8.56.43+PM.png" width="263" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-TK6Ovg9dBAzldROOWcdKbSCcDPuqyhKEF06MwA3V3UVb0PwerLL0oqyY-4I1WRLHUyih0vNdr6i_mX7MoZ8KChWMI4yEgvg_EDPXDVqnbV4xbYz2uGrtc4VCpPKS6WshfZqEDJgGsU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+9.02.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-TK6Ovg9dBAzldROOWcdKbSCcDPuqyhKEF06MwA3V3UVb0PwerLL0oqyY-4I1WRLHUyih0vNdr6i_mX7MoZ8KChWMI4yEgvg_EDPXDVqnbV4xbYz2uGrtc4VCpPKS6WshfZqEDJgGsU/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+9.02.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Anyway.....back to kitchens. :)This one (below) is a bit busy for me. It has nice aging, but too much stuff. I love the contrast of the natural brown wood grain against the black rubbed-off cabinets.<br />
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Another thing I discovered I love: bell lanterns. :) (below)<br />
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A bit too much white here (below), but I love the black against the white....and the copper pots. :)<br />
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Another one of my top favorites: Once again the beautiful grain of the wood is really brought out by the black. I think that grain in wood contains subtle, darker striating, which is accented when used near black. The wood alone would have melted mildly into the creamy white walls. But with black, I can see much more texture in the wood. Adding it to the ceiling, as well, is even BETTER.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I noticed, too, that the textures in the woven basket-like stool covers (above) and the baskets in the cabinets (below) were brought out by the black. LOVE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98_MvSl1nN5Zfk1I_RMDb2n9UWKqejXlLZemomZG-kqNBhGGt7lRoOmpfXXVvF5SRGII43HuTxfPLMl-WBVw2ROtWuRm80G8yLjnyjnZux0Tzv3G7Upmzqqo3ZkRFE7FwmVEybZGCP6c/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.09.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98_MvSl1nN5Zfk1I_RMDb2n9UWKqejXlLZemomZG-kqNBhGGt7lRoOmpfXXVvF5SRGII43HuTxfPLMl-WBVw2ROtWuRm80G8yLjnyjnZux0Tzv3G7Upmzqqo3ZkRFE7FwmVEybZGCP6c/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.09.52+PM.png" style="cursor: move;" width="219" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMYXa0YTUEG5oUdj_2Zj_r29Ecj5ZETm6YhokrAb9FHnG1PTf-XR9dhgMvlVzjjwS9Ry0cllhnO1ZsCiUJNAmn5x_Rt1hEUAYLmsDm78XcBohOI-kF_swxmTclpQq3vQ6lk49YRmbJgU/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.12.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMYXa0YTUEG5oUdj_2Zj_r29Ecj5ZETm6YhokrAb9FHnG1PTf-XR9dhgMvlVzjjwS9Ry0cllhnO1ZsCiUJNAmn5x_Rt1hEUAYLmsDm78XcBohOI-kF_swxmTclpQq3vQ6lk49YRmbJgU/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-02+at+5.12.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-68603736915513274092011-04-20T11:12:00.001-07:002011-04-20T11:12:19.858-07:00Violetisms for Today<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It started out as an inspiring conversation about forgiveness. </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">She said, "Mommy, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do that." </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I said, "I forgive you." </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">She said, "You always forgive me. You always hassto forgive me. We always hassto forgive people." </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I said, "Yes, do you know why?" </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"No." </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"Because God forgave us. We forgive people because God forgave us." </span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That's when it went off track. "I know dat. I don’t know everysing........I know addigators. I never seen addigators....I don’t know their names. Maybe one is named Francis."</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Then it made another hairpin turn.</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">She looked at her feet.</span></div><div class="p2" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="p1" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">"I always have sandals on. Like Jesus."</span></div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-73112814259923947922011-04-16T15:28:00.000-07:002011-04-16T15:28:14.759-07:00Quick Takes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We've been doing a lot of talking and praying lately......and......<br />
<br />
1. We decided we're going to be staying in Washington....post-military.<br />
2. We are looking for a small lot in Lacey, WA (suburbs of Olympia) on which to build a home. (Ben's contract ends in April, 2010. We have one more year of paychecks, so we decided to start home-shopping now, before he faces a period of unemployment)<br />
3. We will be building a house there. :)<br />
4. We are selling our van to give us some capital to accomplish all of the above. (<i>$14500, in case you're interested)</i><br />
5. Ben is still in school, finishing up his second set of courses.<br />
6. We quit Violet's ballet, because of her lack of ability to respect her (albeit not-very-good) teacher.<br />
7. We are hoping to get her into some sports soon....perhaps soccer.<br />
8. Grace is crawling<br />
9. I sewed an entire dress for Violet....and it is FINISHED.<br />
10. I am still teaching 4 students, and no more have signed on. There is still very little interest out here "in the country."<br />
11. The new home plan we settled on has an office in the front of the house, which will become the piano studio. I cannot WAIT to get comfy in that room and start up a studio for real. My goal is about 10 hours a week, totaling 20 students. :)<br />
12. The frenzy of planning has taken its toll on our family. I need to spend a lot of time in prayer to not become overwhelmed with this decision and all it means.<br />
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We would appreciate all your prayers.<br />
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<br />
</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-17422507628557061792011-04-12T17:50:00.000-07:002011-04-12T17:50:27.095-07:00Household Gods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I recently was convicted about that feeling I kept getting at the end of every day, "Wow, where did the time go? I didn't get A.B. and C. done." In prayer one morning, God showed me that computer stuff was getting in my way. I think maybe stay-at-home moms everywhere can identify with this. We rule our own time...our work is "never done"....and the computer (with its promise of social interaction without ever leaving the house) is always there, within reach. With those 3 things creating the Perfect Storm, I got a little carried away with facebook and blogging....and internet shopping.......and reading up on other people's blogs....and photos.....<br />
<br />
*sigh*<br />
<br />
The morning I was referring to I was sitting in bed sort-of dreading the day coming up...with its promise of "I'll get that done this morning"....which always turns into "halfway through the afternoon and the breakfast dishes are still piled up." .......and then suddenly all the other things I had to do that day started barking at me from the sidelines, too. Laundry jeered from the hallway, bread demanded to be made, coffee begged to be roasted, and the guilt of not fixing my husband lunch to take to work started to creep up. From the distance I could see my sewing project waving to me sadly......instantly my hands went to my iPhone for "comfort" from social networking. These jobs were cracking the whip over my head, and I just wanted to retreat to something FUN!<br />
<br />
In the midst of all this, a phrase started to form in my head........<i>household gods</i>........and I remembered the frequent referrals to them in the old testament as being something the Israelites turned to and then back to God....then back to the idols, then back to God. I realized I had set up my own household gods around me everywhere. Everywhere I turned, there they were, set up, commanding me to bow down. I let them rule me, and I forgot my First Love, Jesus Christ. I repented of this idolatry, and asked God to be first again. I prayed for the power to abide in Christ and bear fruit instead of worshipping at the feet of laundry and dishes....and facebook.<br />
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<br />
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<i>PS. That's one of the reasons I've been cyber-silent for a few days......more on the rest later.</i></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-42653643366876574452011-03-23T14:28:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:28:15.562-07:00Spring in Yelm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Would you believe it if I told you I am sitting in our SUNNY backyard and typing this?? Yep...we have sunshine. :) And--it's 58 degrees out right now. AND--there are flowers on my plum tree! AND my husband is mowing our lawn for the first time all year! Oh, wait. That's my neighbor. We still haven't mowed our lawn.........<br />
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We just got back from a family walk to our tiny little "downtown" here in Yelm. We're about a 5 minute walk from "The Corner." There you can find "<a href="http://www.yelmprairielanes.com/default.asp?Page=Home">Prairie Lanes</a>," the local bowling alley, "Prairie Dental," a home with a charming picket fence, blooming muscari, and perfectly combed pea gravel drive. The office is downstairs, the family lives upstairs. At the light is Tim's Pharmacy, and across the street from that is a framing shop/art gallery that offers art classes for children. Around the corner from Tim's is the White Horse Tavern, frequently populated by bikers, and down the road a bit of a drive is my favorite store of the year, "<a href="http://bullfrogsandbutterflies.vpweb.com/">Bullfrogs & Butterflies</a>," used kids' clothing & toys. Across from there is the <a href="http://www.trlib.org/Locations/Pages/LibraryInformation.aspx?lib=ye">Yelm Timberland Library</a>, where Grace, Violet & I spend time every couple of weeks.<br />
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We walked past Cochran Memorial Park, where we fed the ducks during the winter.....<br />
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<span id="goog_192725734"></span><a href="http://www.timspharmacy.com/">Tim's Pharmacy & Gifts</a><span id="goog_192725735"></span> was our destination for today....they just opened up "Holy Grounds" espresso shop (The name is actually reflective of the owners' religion; they consistently have scripture quoted on their digital sign in front of the store.) in the back, where they serve espresso creations made from <a href="http://www.dancinggoats.com/Home_C277.cfm?CFID=347937&CFTOKEN=47271940">Batdorf & Bronson</a> roast. B&B roasters are one of the most famous names in Western Washington. We got REALLY lucky to have this place within walking distance of our little country home.<br />
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</div>Tim's Pharmacy is one of my favorite stores in this small town. They have a GORGEOUS assortment of gift items, stuff you'd never expect to find in the middle of the prairie. They have everything you'd think, "I have to order that on the internet, no one local would carry that." For instance, the <a href="http://www.timspharmacy.com/scrapbook.htm">"Scrapbook Nook"</a> was a huge surprise...a place I linger in for hours, if I have no children with me. They also have some very unique home decor stuff, too. I bought Violet & Grace's "jewel berries" here, which I used in their bedroom decor. Then there's the <a href="http://www.timspharmacy.com/goccasions.htm#candies">handmade truffles</a>...not to mention the huge variety of gourmet teas & candies....oh yeah, Ben bought me my Willow tree birthday figurines here. :)<br />
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Anyway. Spring is here.<br />
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Ben is napping in the grass behind me....<br />
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Violet is barefooted.<br />
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I think I like this town today. Maybe we'll stay.....................<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBozV1rGZFZdeJLejgoNfysu8cnutQliZNGTMi_AuTs-PXlvJgDTYvU90Z9py-swysRg3DtgMTSFRdi-6C6CKOVMeK9ieYIZSRBInBMpXpl6wjoCR-IMvr5cvt8__ra7KiUq-3skdUnAo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBozV1rGZFZdeJLejgoNfysu8cnutQliZNGTMi_AuTs-PXlvJgDTYvU90Z9py-swysRg3DtgMTSFRdi-6C6CKOVMeK9ieYIZSRBInBMpXpl6wjoCR-IMvr5cvt8__ra7KiUq-3skdUnAo/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-17981084647165009422011-03-21T16:14:00.000-07:002011-03-21T16:14:01.944-07:00Baby Food 180<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I spent the morning..........<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">drum roll</span>................making BABY FOOD in my kitchen! I know, I know, I've been a Scoffer of those who slave away pureeing and straining away the day when Gerber's commercial kitchens do it far better, for far cheaper. Or, at least, it <b>used</b> to be cheaper.<br />
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When Violet was starting baby food, someone forwarded me an internet coupon that was for $1 off 2 double-packs of Gerber's organic baby food at Target. There was no limit. I used that coupon to buy her entire supply. I think I spent about $30, and Violet feasted on pureed goodness for over 2 months. I even had some left over to give away when Violet had moved on to fist-feeding.<br />
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I had read the ingredients labels, and realized there was no real difference between Gerber's foods and what I might prepare in my own kitchen. Gerber's carrots included: water, carrots. What more could you ask for? I wasn't concerned about the nutritional aspect at all. I just didn't want to take the time.<br />
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Now, it's 3 years later, and I have no coupon. The price of Everything has gone up, and baby food is WAYYYYY up. It's now $1.29 for a Gerber's double pack. NOT organic! Also, Grace is a much heavier eater than Violet was. For instance, her breakfast this morning consisted of the following:<br />
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<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li>1 whole banana</li>
<li>1 whole buttermilk wheat pancake</li>
<li>2 scrambled eggs</li>
<li>2 slices of pear</li>
</ol><div>It would cost me around $60 a month to allow her to eat Gerber's every meal.</div><div><br />
</div><div>ANYHOW. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This morning, I prepared the following:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3 turnips</li>
<li>1 carrot</li>
<li>1/4 onion</li>
<li>2 T butter</li>
</ul><div>(<i>steamed, then mashed with the butter. No straining, she doesn't need it to be that smooth. *WHEW* at least I don't have to strain it, too!)</i></div></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Cost: < $.50 This will last her 6 or more meals when paired with a protein and grain.</span></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>It was so delicious, I ate some myself! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Then I did a vegetable turkey broth blend:</div><div><br />
</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>turkey bouillon</li>
<li>1/2 red pepper </li>
<li>zucchini</li>
<li>onion</li>
<li>celery</li>
</ul><div><i>Pureed, then, because it was too runny, slightly thickened with flour. Turned out not so great. The flour made it taste thick, not fresh & sunny like veggies should be. Also, the bouillon, I realized after, was too salty for baby food. Not a good choice. Oh well. Live and learn.)</i></div></div><div>Cost: $1.25~ It made enough to freeze and use for weeks to come. If I decide to use it....I'm also a little concerned about the wheat flour....</div><div><br />
</div><div>Next, I pureed some leftover brown rice to make a rice cereal, and added some butter. </div><div><br />
</div><div><i>NOTE: I read recently that pure butter is an easy way to add "good fats" to baby's diet. You can put it in just about anything...and they love the taste, of course. Raw butter is the best.....but I can't afford that, so I just add a dollop of Kirkland brand. ;) </i></div><div>Cost: <i style="font-style: normal;"><b>negligible</b>. (</i>I buy rice in bulk from Costco, and it's pennies per pound.)</div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div>Then I roasted some sweet potatoes, mashed them with butter, and have about 6-8 meals' worth. </div><div>Cost: $1~ </div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, I pureed some leftover chickpea soup. Just a cup, to see how she digests it. I haven't done much with beans with her....they tend to be difficult to digest. But so far, her stomach has taken EVERYTHING....and loved it. :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>So I have a freezer/fridge full of baby food for 2-3 weeks, and spend under $5 on everything. I supplement with eggs and yogurt with her, too, but that's about it!</div><div><br />
</div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. This food is becoming more of a necessity because of the breast milk issue. I know that 9 month olds are rarely eating so much solid food. We are still working on getting her to accept formula...having more success with raw cow's milk....but hopeful for mommy's milk in the long run.</span></i></div><div><br />
</div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-26318358872094551822011-03-20T14:50:00.000-07:002011-03-20T14:50:18.899-07:00Back In Business (Almost)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">On Facebook, y'all may have noticed I have been struggling with breastfeeding Grace recently.<br />
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Last Saturday night was the Time Change, and a combination of the lack of sleep, Grace's 2 top teeth coming in (and her refusing to nurse for 2 days because of the pain), and an unusually busy week to follow, caused me to drop in milk production drastically. Monday I began pumping with my manual pump, with zero results. I determined the suction just wan't hard enough to match Grace's 9-month old suction. I went ahead and started Grace on formula Tuesday (since she didn't seem to object to the bottle with her teething, just nursing), only to have her categorically refuse to drink it, in any form we could concoct. I had been introducing her little by little to cow's milk (raw) for the last 2 weeks, anyhow, so we just let her drink that and water for the rest of the week.<br />
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Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all insanely busy days for me....I barely had time to think about trying to pump or nurse or up my production at all. It wasn't helping at all, that's for sure...<br />
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Finally, I realized she wasn't going to start up again any time soon I capitulated on Wednesday night, and went out late that night to Wal-Mart to buy an electric pump, hoping it would match her strength. The most expensive one they had was barely producing anything. At this point, I didn't know whether I just had no milk, or my pump wasn't working. By Thursday, I was down to 1/4 oz. per pumping session. . Finally, Friday, I managed to see the lactation consultants at Madigan...who sent me home with a lovely (free) Medela double electric pump. I've been pumping 4-5 times a day, trying HARD to get it up to 8 times....as they recommended....and I'm taking fenugreek, drinking a LOT of water, & having a beer each evening.<br />
<br />
So far, so good.<br />
<br />
Milk production is definitely UP. I can mostly see an increase first thing in the morning during breastfeeding (Grace returned to nursing--but only when first waking up in the morning), and later at night when I pump. She will only consent to nursing once a day, and the other pumpings I just give her in a bottle. But I'm ok with pumping/bottle feeding. As long as she's receiving the health benefits, I can handle one nursing session a day. <br />
<br />
I guess.<br />
<br />
*sigh* My baby is growing up.<br />
</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-81979345473330028632011-03-12T08:47:00.000-08:002011-03-12T08:47:53.463-08:00Sad Mommy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Ugh. Grace has been on a Nursing Strike since her top teeth started to pop out YESTERDAY. I have a pretty glum outlook on getting all the way to 12 months with breastfeeding her. She screams and thrashes and fights when I offer her nursing, and throws her head back and just CRIES....like I'm trying to harvest her organs or something. :(<br />
<br />
She'll take a bottle, but I cannot pump at this late stage. I tried using my hand-pump yesterday and after a half an hour, I got about 2 tablespoons. I think it's because her suction level is so high that the manual pump is just not strong enough anymore. I am racking my brains to see if I know anyone who has an electric one I could borrow.....any offers?? Anyone??? I can't afford to shell out that kind of money to buy an electric one at this point...just for a few days (I hope). Right now, she's on raw cow's milk, and the occasional drip she gets from me before throwing her tantrum.<br />
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Sad, sad, sad Mommy. :(</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-4125919914390008922011-03-12T08:37:00.000-08:002011-03-12T08:38:15.134-08:00Link Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://theforsheyfour.blogspot.com/2011/03/screwtape-letters-again.html">I'm sending you over to my sister's blog today, for an inspiring word on Marriage.</a> It rang true to me at a time where I'm feeling All Alone in treasuring the institution of marriage itself. Read and be inspired to continue the "good fight of faith" for your spouse....the reward is a little closer than heaven. </div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-84149930139634969512011-03-09T14:55:00.000-08:002011-03-09T15:25:50.146-08:00Butter & Other Oils<div>This is kind of in response to Denise's comment about Lard. Just a quickie, since I don't have much time today....I'm making gnocchi for dinner for the first time (in an attempt to try a "healthier" pasta...another topic of conversation amongst friends recently!!) and need plenty of time for mistakes!<div><br /></div><div>I was reading up on butter to make sure I had this all straight. The thing about lard is, it has a pretty high smoke point. You can go ahead and heat it up and, unlike butter, it's not going to brown or burn before your veggies are done. Now, there are a lot of other oils out there that have higher smoke points (macadamia nut, for instance), but are also very high in saturated fats.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my personal experience with lard, you can cook veggies faster in lard, and they remain a beautiful "fresh" texture inside, while being hot and crisp on the outside, rather than getting "butter-logged" and wilted as with butter. I notice this particularly with asparagus...which has those delicate "buds" on the tips. Butter tends to saturate into it, making the buds nearly soggy before the rest of the stem has cooked, whereas lard kind of speed-sears the whole thing super-fast. It tastes more asparagus-y. :) Also fried eggs in lard are SOOO much more Egg-y, and less crispy, overcooked on the bottom-y. I have NO trouble getting them to go over-easy with lard, too, though I do with butter. </div><div><br /></div><div>SO! Trying to find the best oil for your meal, you should consider a couple of charts.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJrYUE4DbthTQvrHWQ5v0X3iTLjtVgdhjX0kETEi_B4lOFL-h3hOyXWHenbIienj2nDa5SWc71S6HcEuuxZbdUHYT4S_j_PaGUFmQbn8gESbyvNeFX2ZCgqzmhzvqCp_JdxunM89ymYI/s400/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.23+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582221516039009186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-dBhBZ5bZ_mVmxKYyYk3L1SOt2fh4IdeKu24WQmQ2bua9zre_FHloszY42nCnkDd8B1XhOP4onb2vJ3HLvXXnkeBJ19DCxKPeQkStScMjbun9Khn3000phU5FEcDgG3rpKDHWYoahZg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.43+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 388px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-dBhBZ5bZ_mVmxKYyYk3L1SOt2fh4IdeKu24WQmQ2bua9zre_FHloszY42nCnkDd8B1XhOP4onb2vJ3HLvXXnkeBJ19DCxKPeQkStScMjbun9Khn3000phU5FEcDgG3rpKDHWYoahZg/s400/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.43+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582221523873561906" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJrYUE4DbthTQvrHWQ5v0X3iTLjtVgdhjX0kETEi_B4lOFL-h3hOyXWHenbIienj2nDa5SWc71S6HcEuuxZbdUHYT4S_j_PaGUFmQbn8gESbyvNeFX2ZCgqzmhzvqCp_JdxunM89ymYI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.23+PM.png"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__moR2wl-VTjQfumo2CVn0kELxaGbnr7DN0FhPnyySgj8GDLuGuS-sjVQ_JWInxblPmJbTmWeCMBnvQIGEp7nqeWgcIGG6A0I-RFPlu0FlF38I2BwSJ7DgKaPPJ5Y8Xnssi73whjsNJg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.00+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__moR2wl-VTjQfumo2CVn0kELxaGbnr7DN0FhPnyySgj8GDLuGuS-sjVQ_JWInxblPmJbTmWeCMBnvQIGEp7nqeWgcIGG6A0I-RFPlu0FlF38I2BwSJ7DgKaPPJ5Y8Xnssi73whjsNJg/s400/Screen+shot+2011-03-09+at+3.09.00+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582221516921284706" /></a>Actually, Denise is right. The olive oil smoke point is pretty high, and it has a pretty low saturated fat content, as well. It's a good combination for the most part. The only time I hesitate to grab my bottle of EVOO from the cabinet is when taste comes into play. I can always tast that Mediterranean earthy flavor in whatever I cook when I use EVOO. My substitutes so far have been butter (low temps, of course) on things like fish and sauteed carrots (which I like to soften a bit before they're ready to eat), coconut oil (unrefined) for desserts, and my newest experiment, safflower oil. I absolutely ADORE coconut oils for confections. Anything sweet--cakes, cupcakes, scones, etc....it's a DREAM oil. It makes cake crumbs glisten! :) :) :) I'm still not sure about the safflower oil. It seems totally flavorless, and I don't always want a lack of flavor. However, I did use it in the last batch of pancakes I made. I didn't notice any difference in flavor between them and the coconut oil batch. <div><br /></div><div>I know coconut oil gets a bad rap sometimes, but if you use the unrefined stuff, it has a much lower saturated fat content than the refined stuff. Plus, it has a special antimicrobial chemical in it called<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauric_acid"> lauric acid</a>, which is also found in breast milk. Good for you, basically. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ok, that's my Two Cents So Far. :)<br /><div><br /></div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-20066827674987579082011-03-08T16:56:00.000-08:002011-03-08T17:11:52.565-08:00LardI found a <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food">VERY interesting article from Food & Wine magazine</a> on Lard, the rejected fat. I just want to know, though.....do any of you use it? Would you after reading this article? I have looked for it in my grocery store, and can only find the partially hydrogenated kind. Once I tried rendering it myself, but my pot is not heavy enough, and overheated it much too quickly. I ended up with smoky, pork-flavored grease, and some delicious pork cracklings. Too bad. :(Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-58265765277748624102011-03-05T13:10:00.000-08:002011-03-05T13:21:01.732-08:00Violet SaidI thought I might as well share the little book I've started. We began capturing things Violet said over the last week, and have quite a few started up already. (Some Ben wrote, some I wrote.)<div><br /></div><div>Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div> <style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px} span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px} </style> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>25 Feb 11</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Me: I want to eat your ears. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Violet: No, you hassta eat <i><b>f</b><b>ood!</b></i></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Me: But your ears are so tasty! And they're nice and cold. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Violet: But---Dey're not sup-PO-sed to be cold!</span></p> <p class="p3"><br /><span class="s1"></span></p><p class="p3"><br /></p><p class="p3"><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">"I don't like those pants because they are so long. And I am so short. My skin is so short. LIke the saggy baggy elephant. I'm so wrinkled!"</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>26 Feb 11</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Violet, overheard playing many characters in the closet: "You don’t know everyssing. Yes, I do! You’re not GOD! Yes, I know everyssing, like GOD! You’re NOT de bess mother in the werd. So--GUBYE!"</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">"Do you know!! that my Momma said I could roll my pants up in the store.....cuz dey were seven dollars!" (<i>they <b>were </b>seven dollars....I don't know how she knew that...)</i></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">(She was hoarse from being sick) <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>“I have a.......a.........bran' new <i><b>voice!</b></i>” </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>28 Feb 11</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Mommy, do you love your churdren?” Yes, I do love my 2 girls very much!” “Will you love your two boys when dey come?”</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>2 Mar 11</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Sobbed: “Daddy, you <i>broke</i>.....my <i>happiness</i>.” upon receiving a spanking.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“I open cookies cuz dey’re yum inside!” upon getting two Oreos. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Wow, you look a little stupid. Mommy, you look a little stupid and a little pretty.” upon seeing Susi dressed up in spandex to go running.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>3 Mar 11</b></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Daddy, when you were sleeping, you put stinky breath in my air.” after spending the night with me (<i>on the same pillow</i>) because of a bad dream.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Mommy, do you know girls have to match and boys have to match?” (The reason we have to have 2 more brothers for her.) </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">“You don’ like diss one, do you mom? You hate dis one. Becuz you has to be still.” while I was doing the plank during morning exercise.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1"><br /></p><p class="p1"><b>5 March 11</b></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">During prayer time this morning: "Please hep my mommy not to be grouchy when she's exu-sizin' "</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">I told her I was too busy to listen: “The truth is, I just can’t concentrate on what you’re saying...” Violet: “ *sigh* Aright, enough truff.”</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-66070380706926856802011-03-03T10:21:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:55:21.427-08:00Growing Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehO9iCsuCk1mrAVLa00CbvuCUhYiiUM8_cJe1sw3ZaABefaYXDX_UyONiV1Il6-owQ1g0STIMk074c2-kX23sZytgEqDrUJgA9VVH0oeth2HCpvgJXaGaFv141I0QwGanikH23O6Jxj8/s1600/DSC_3698.JPG"></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Violet's newest task this week was to learn how to load the dishwasher. I'm constantly amazed at how interested she continues to be in doing "chores." I hated chores growing up....<div><br /></div><div>There's a principle in Suzuki pedagogy that says, "If the parent continues to show excitement with a child's new skill, and even after hundreds of repetitions never shows boredom or indifference, the child will continue to be as excited about and dedicated to the skill as when it was brand new." (paraphrased)</div><div><br /></div><div>How true this is in every aspect of child-training! If I continue to praise, show interest in, and affirm her work, she wants to make it a "surprise" every time! When she puts all her clothes away in her drawers with *none* sticking out, "Close your eyes, Mom," she says, "It's a surprise!" I tell her I'm <i>amazed</i> and so SO pleased with how well she did. She does a happy dance, and bounces around the room. :)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vBnvD7kwrpAfVpYm-f2tTcEbpQz2tM9O5UwUMaHjMD9iLSX1U0SLTr2-Ofl7d908EGaxOdQ5A9Bzx-UaL3ne6TGtJlEYCHOizFcF23n8dPlH9BfE-uqoTGhFAIDqyAuGWARlwQykPPo/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vBnvD7kwrpAfVpYm-f2tTcEbpQz2tM9O5UwUMaHjMD9iLSX1U0SLTr2-Ofl7d908EGaxOdQ5A9Bzx-UaL3ne6TGtJlEYCHOizFcF23n8dPlH9BfE-uqoTGhFAIDqyAuGWARlwQykPPo/s400/IMG_0510.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579922030414236658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4v1IY75I0zkveXGS7TDVWIHBOy71GPs7iCO36HvXmQp15bNEgx-issELCDQ3OgR0D0gbUemzCVXu5yLqa56gTyGWBLATm-MiHbS8BhRV0czY6hO9kav4ofqPQVilT6O8VO4QMKmuKNNs/s1600/IMG_0509.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4v1IY75I0zkveXGS7TDVWIHBOy71GPs7iCO36HvXmQp15bNEgx-issELCDQ3OgR0D0gbUemzCVXu5yLqa56gTyGWBLATm-MiHbS8BhRV0czY6hO9kav4ofqPQVilT6O8VO4QMKmuKNNs/s400/IMG_0509.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579922024934151282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBqOJoDBGMW-6idrjLSfXpF0kHpxPKbjQ8KgGJmvmDfG6u4k1qdxYW690CdHgCsW9BLY8xtqol9rvAF_FcVnkhkkD7hD-NfZB9qzt-hCqU5tMtwYAMIfs1RDat-SciP1FAnR72HwYvrc/s1600/IMG_0508.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBqOJoDBGMW-6idrjLSfXpF0kHpxPKbjQ8KgGJmvmDfG6u4k1qdxYW690CdHgCsW9BLY8xtqol9rvAF_FcVnkhkkD7hD-NfZB9qzt-hCqU5tMtwYAMIfs1RDat-SciP1FAnR72HwYvrc/s400/IMG_0508.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579922021970754162" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>So far her daily tasks include: </div><div><ul><li>dressing herself (tights, socks, everything)</li><li>clearing the breakfast table & wiping it down</li><li>Loading the dishwasher (still with help), adding soap, starting it</li><li>Sorting and putting away the clean silverware</li><li>flossing/brushing teeth</li><li>setting the table for meals, including napkins</li><li>getting her own drinks, except milk (gallon jug)</li><li>sorting laundry (darks, whites)</li><li>giving herself a bath (except hairwash)</li><li>donning pajamas</li><li>*VERY important* Playing with Grace in the mornings till Mommy & Daddy wake up. :)</li></ul><div>That last one was a HUGE accomplishment for us. Ben & I very much enjoy our mornings together, now that he's home for breakfast-time, and not being awakened by bouncing children at 7AM has been great!!! Violet keeps Grace occupied in their room with toys & water-bottle till about 7:45 when we get up and greet them. She is VERY good at this...we barely hear a peep from them before we're up on our own. I highly recommend this to other parents!!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I love my little precious Violet.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehO9iCsuCk1mrAVLa00CbvuCUhYiiUM8_cJe1sw3ZaABefaYXDX_UyONiV1Il6-owQ1g0STIMk074c2-kX23sZytgEqDrUJgA9VVH0oeth2HCpvgJXaGaFv141I0QwGanikH23O6Jxj8/s1600/DSC_3698.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehO9iCsuCk1mrAVLa00CbvuCUhYiiUM8_cJe1sw3ZaABefaYXDX_UyONiV1Il6-owQ1g0STIMk074c2-kX23sZytgEqDrUJgA9VVH0oeth2HCpvgJXaGaFv141I0QwGanikH23O6Jxj8/s400/DSC_3698.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579924384158668290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-74841439535170544982011-03-02T16:10:00.000-08:002011-03-02T16:24:34.348-08:00On SugarSo, I've blogged in the past about my attempts to "Health-i-fy" our lives. Specifically, in the food department, I've been quite fluctuating, because of the higher prices I encounter the more "pure" I go. Organic brands, local options, raw and fresh are all 2-10 times the price of run-of-the-mill grocery store items. One of the things I keep going round and round on is sugar. Ben is taking a nutrition course and has concluded (based on what he's read) that basically most sugars are processed the same way in the body (glucose being the basic concept for "sugar"). Raw sugars, organic sugars, unrefined turbinado sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, ......it's all going to go to energy and out the body in heat in the end. <div><br /></div><div>Up until now, I had been buying what I thought was unrefined, less-processed organic sugar at $.79 a pound from C*stco. Regular Wal-Mart white sugar is more like $.29 a pound. Then, I read an article by Sally Fallon (related to the Weston A. Price Foundation) which said that those ones you buy like "Sugar in the Raw" and "Cane Crystals" and what-not are all just regular white sugar with a spot of molasses poured back in to make it look browner and "healthier." Basically, they're just dyed white, refined sugar. She advocated (if you use sugar at all) using a product called "Rapadura" which <i>is actually</i> unrefined cane sugar. You can read about it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapadura">here</a>. However, it costs $6 a POUND. We used it mostly up in my birthday cake....which is a hard thing to take. I don't think that's a luxury we can afford, if that's the only healthy way to consume sugar. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, I bought my first 5 pound bag of wal-Mart white sugar in 3 years. :( It looks so.....evil and glowing-ly white sitting in my glass canister on the counter. My teeth start to feel gritty and ache a little just when I look at it!!</div><div><br /></div><div>At any rate...</div><div><br /></div><div>I need to know what's what in the sugar world. I know random facts about sugar....and I know there are a lot of expensive and not-so-expensive options to sugar....but I'm not sure which way to go, yet. I'm not totally ready to give up sugar, either. Especially not with my new ice cream maker. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Tell me what you use in your kitchen, why you use it, and how you feel about it in terms of your family's health. </div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-87867825166045322592011-02-28T13:01:00.000-08:002011-03-01T09:06:29.880-08:00Then and Now.<div>Years ago.....we visited the Carousel at the Zoo.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPtFCB-1XYKU0LbgWHHXFiADFOXWOXkNUv9leXAGTN4y5fdgjLJLj9t72TfpnTl2LiG-5aiR5lB8sKaLDxsaHdrRVPgcLBaGJsvDnAVzuKKIYR1codLvg5Ap1TBYZI9XrBWV5lp82Cg/s400/DSC_1374.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578848577670329394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And then again this past Saturday. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiyuLQ_6nv50Xk_Jvp1mSclEA6TeFF8re4pjHdoiGzdpleshCiSdqhu4F2rs5k807MEeKu70biQV0IYg09hNFFWpe_U4ghg9qX0Jtogs8g534-p3Jm4eKI8NQqxXY2EQMDFj9tGFoWo8/s1600/IMG_0460.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiyuLQ_6nv50Xk_Jvp1mSclEA6TeFF8re4pjHdoiGzdpleshCiSdqhu4F2rs5k807MEeKu70biQV0IYg09hNFFWpe_U4ghg9qX0Jtogs8g534-p3Jm4eKI8NQqxXY2EQMDFj9tGFoWo8/s400/IMG_0460.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578848583364501858" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPtFCB-1XYKU0LbgWHHXFiADFOXWOXkNUv9leXAGTN4y5fdgjLJLj9t72TfpnTl2LiG-5aiR5lB8sKaLDxsaHdrRVPgcLBaGJsvDnAVzuKKIYR1codLvg5Ap1TBYZI9XrBWV5lp82Cg/s1600/DSC_1374.JPG"><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPtFCB-1XYKU0LbgWHHXFiADFOXWOXkNUv9leXAGTN4y5fdgjLJLj9t72TfpnTl2LiG-5aiR5lB8sKaLDxsaHdrRVPgcLBaGJsvDnAVzuKKIYR1codLvg5Ap1TBYZI9XrBWV5lp82Cg/s1600/DSC_1374.JPG"><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPtFCB-1XYKU0LbgWHHXFiADFOXWOXkNUv9leXAGTN4y5fdgjLJLj9t72TfpnTl2LiG-5aiR5lB8sKaLDxsaHdrRVPgcLBaGJsvDnAVzuKKIYR1codLvg5Ap1TBYZI9XrBWV5lp82Cg/s1600/DSC_1374.JPG"><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPtFCB-1XYKU0LbgWHHXFiADFOXWOXkNUv9leXAGTN4y5fdgjLJLj9t72TfpnTl2LiG-5aiR5lB8sKaLDxsaHdrRVPgcLBaGJsvDnAVzuKKIYR1codLvg5Ap1TBYZI9XrBWV5lp82Cg/s1600/DSC_1374.JPG">H</a>ow time does fly....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-81377039787027056562011-02-28T09:47:00.001-08:002011-02-28T10:08:52.280-08:00Over the WeekendI guess it was shooting a little high to expect I could post over the weekend, but I still beat myself up for not trying. ;) You're welcome.<div><br /></div><div>We decided to have a traditional Saturday this week, and plan a fun outing together, shop a little, and eat out for dinner. It hasn't happened in a while, because Ben is in school, now. He tends to be "here, but not here" on the weekends. Though we're technically free to do what we want, he usually has some chapters to read, leftover from the week. Saturdays kind-of run into the weekdays, now. (Like "normal people," I'm told.)</div><div><br /></div><div>We braved it to the <a href="http://www.pdza.org/">Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium</a>. It was pretty awesome. We saw some of the native NW creatures in the cold, wet environment they were probably used to. By the time we left, it was--appropriately--snowing. </div><div><br /></div><div>We saw a very cool Cuttlefish, doing its thing: (surprise ending, watch the whole thing!)</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz-y2d2Wi_H942bPPaFguq1CgDxFYN1ph2aVDg9oduLM2Ux39xQTk-3thhQ476sdg5Q_0gmUR_EqBzRBMLs2A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div>We also said hello to the walruses, and one of them came right up and said, "Hello" back to us!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyWLrpfbUvl8Zn-MxvuOUjCM4fab3w6z6A6EsSGFSuuzjhj7iUx-Q7nLXczzPbmHNqIComu4icuGnPu40FU3g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div>We ended the day at the Tacoma Mall, where Ben collected his "reward" for being a satisfied customer with AT&T: a "microcell tower" which brings 100% bars of service to our phones when being used in our home. </div><div><br /></div><div>We finished with supper at <a href="http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/">BJ's Brewhouse</a> , and then shopped around for some killer deals at H&M, picked up my birthday coupon's-worth at Victoria's Secret, and made our way home by evening. It was an awesome day! And a very good excuse for not posting. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday after church, we were invited to our pastor's home for an impromptu lunch, and ended up staying most of the afternoon with the girls, just talking, laughing, taking it easy. It was like---ALMOST like---being at home with family. I can't say how much I appreciate this church right now. It has us almost feeling like we have a real home here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's agenda: making invitations to an Irish tea party for some church ladies. :)</div></div></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-45824196724495193652011-02-25T09:53:00.000-08:002011-02-25T10:10:37.614-08:00Life. (and Death)Well, my Grandmother passed away on my birthday. She was "not responding" in the last hours, and my parents and sister were there with her, and called me to talk to her. I was told she responded to my voice, and Violet's voice by starting to breath more quickly (more than 10x per minute), and her pulse went up, also. I was glad to have one last chance to let her know I love her. I can't imagine how she is right now....outside of Time and Age......somewhere in the presence of Jesus, feeling fresh and fast and limber.<br /><br />Her life was a sweet fragrance. Her presence was never often enough....and always, always a complete delight. I can't say this about many people I've known in my life, but I never knew her to cause discomfort or grief to anyone. She was a completely gracious and tenderhearted woman. As I said in my last post, I'll never be able to say enough about her, and the Rich Blessing she was.<br /><br />All my piano lessons were paid for by her, all my life. Then when I went on to receive teacher training, it was all funded by her, as well. I owe all that to her.<br /><br />I can't help but to be warmed by the significance of her leaving on my birthday. I'm honored. We had one final celebration, then on to Heaven. (But I wish I could have been <i>there</i>)<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br />Sadly, I spent many hours yesterday and today trying to find a way to make it to the funeral, then heard the disheartening news that it had been moved a day earlier, Saturday at 2. I am not going to be able to make it. I can't leave Grace, and I can't take her on an all-night flight. :(<br /><br />Today and tomorrow are going to be hard. I already am experiencing regret at having decided not to go. I really, really want to be there. I really want to honor her memory. I want to see the faces of her family, and mourn & celebrate with them. I want to play for her service.....to thank her, in that way.....for all my talent is because of her generous heart. And she loved to hear me play.<br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br />Still, I know she'd want me to stay home, and not try to brave the airports & weather and do all that driving just to make it there in time for her funeral. She hated risk. ;) She worried a lot about our safety while traveling.<br /><br />I guess this is just Life.....interrupting and being annoying......even in the face of Death. I just have to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs and get on with my life. She's gone from here, now.....and I'm sure it doesn't make a difference to her whether I'm here or in Virginia during her funeral. But I now have another thing to grieve.Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-72786409138643260612011-02-23T08:42:00.001-08:002011-02-23T08:44:15.308-08:00Birthday's Eve<div><br />Here's Present #2, so timely delivered after a restless night's sleep, and too-early awakening by baby girls.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0B6AfL4DC9RJpPSmmL-o4jXYVKqD7Nu-bBuwRwxij0qHR9qNxZ1Gn4Z4zzHN7VYBMv5iqKgZ8wBbo-UKGD0DYi9ASnBLgoN0ACf3NEWAiVSkDAzdU8T4NYb5OsbjrPlJsyO26YgWdwvU/s1600/DSC_6502.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0B6AfL4DC9RJpPSmmL-o4jXYVKqD7Nu-bBuwRwxij0qHR9qNxZ1Gn4Z4zzHN7VYBMv5iqKgZ8wBbo-UKGD0DYi9ASnBLgoN0ACf3NEWAiVSkDAzdU8T4NYb5OsbjrPlJsyO26YgWdwvU/s320/DSC_6502.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576926625071433970" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">I intend to soak thoroughly once the girls are napping. :)</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-31912230029391117962011-02-23T08:30:00.000-08:002011-02-23T08:42:02.760-08:00Backsliding Already<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNPiCtl_F9H9h2v0gShN4vbiO5Bi3nTWSyQI4RlDROQOqT55nNbuXY9R83ZippMJexMyXcl6p_VNWb2iHmTHtX5P__7Hl2eMBanXXuz-xtWOfRG1VczJVdDsmWfs-apsMu597zEbqXQA/s1600/DSC_6502.JPG"></a>Despite my promises to post something "less melancholy" yesterday, I managed to let the whole day slide by without writing. Well, my excuses are these:<div>1. Ben took the laptop with him for school and didn't get back till the afternoon.</div><div>2. I ended up on the phone with a friend for a delightful 2+ hours of pure TALK (which hasn't happened to me in years)</div><div>3. I had some serious planning to do regarding groceries/budgeting.</div><div><br /></div><div>About that last one: Gas is up to $3.29 here, and soars to $3.45 in some "elite" gas stations, and I have had to reconsider some things. For instance: Costco is a cheap way to buy bulk, quality items. But we live 30 minutes from said store, so I have to figure in the massive $5-$6 that trip alone is going to cost me. I know that sounds little, but when talking groceries here, cents usually inspire us to make our choices. Remember?</div><div><br /></div><div>I had been spreading our shopping out and going only every 2 weeks to avoid the frequent driving, but that has resulted in the loss of a lot of fresh produce. I was throwing lettuce out every week...and usually other things, as well. I'm going to try to streamline a bit, and do some intensive meal-planning. My friend, <a href="http://beardsleysinaction.blogspot.com/">Laurie</a>, does her shopping that way. She plans out every meal, has sandwiches at lunch, and buys only exactly the ingredients she needs to cook those meals (plus lunchmeat & bread). </div><div><br /></div><div>We only have a Wal-Mart and a Safeway nearby. I'm LOATHE to shop at WalMart--not just because of the stigma, but the quality of their stuff is usually pretty low. Especially produce. Where would I LIKE to shop, you ask? Trader Joe's, Farmer's Market, and WINCO!! </div><div><br /></div><div>I HEART WINCO!!</div><div><br /></div><div>But all these places are 30 minutes plus from me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhow, a few weeks will show whether my micro-managing style will do it for us. I'll post later what I decide to do about Costco, too. Renew or not renew....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-46942976703392915072011-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:002011-02-21T14:06:50.193-08:00This BlogIt dawned on me that the Golden Rule should apply to blogging. I am so disappointed when my friends don't post for a while....and I rarely have the time to call them to catch up or chat. So, this is my attempt at reaching back out to those of you whom I haven't heard enough about in a while. I'm still here...and I'm going to be writing more often. I hope that you reciprocate!<div><br /></div><div>So, just a peek into the "window into my life" that my sidebar profile promises is there: My grandmother is dying. Her birthday is tomorrow....mine is Thursday. We are very close. We have always tried to celebrate our birthdays together.....usually with daffodils present. </div><div><br /></div><div>She is like me. We love flowers....we are both taken up with beautiful things. Her home, when I was a child, was like a museum made for little girls. There were cast-iron birds hovering over glass vases in her living room. There were little dwarves carved from wood hiding on the mantlepiece. There were cinnamon graham crackers in a special drawer that she showed me when my mom wasn't looking. "You know where they are, now" she said. She had a magnificent sheepskin rug in her bedroom that we used to lie on in wonderment at the luxury.....after naptime. Her bedroom had sliding glass doors out onto a patio that overlooked, not a yard, but the woods. Her woods were quiet, mystical, scented, and if you stepped carefully, you might find precious moss, or lenten roses, or pixies. </div><div><br /></div><div>Birds flocked to her feeders in the picture window. Her home was magical...it had windows in all the right places, letting in just the right light, and displaying exactly what you wanted to see. </div><div><br /></div><div>The deck in the back smelled of cantaloupe rind, and promised picnics and sunshine and Breyer's vanilla ice cream. </div><div><br /></div><div>Grandma is the most kind, gracious, gentle, smiling, and beautiful woman I have ever known. I never once in my life saw her become angry. She was very wise. She used to send us money at Christmas and our birthdays.....but when we became old enough to understand, she sent her money to foreign countries to buy goats and heifers for the impoverished people there, sending us the notifications in the mail instead. We were disappointed, slightly, but we understood....and we respected her. </div><div><br /></div><div>....there was a forest of camellia bushes in her yard/woods. She would take us there and wander about, seeing which one was about to divulge its blooms. There was no grass at Grandma's house. She lived in the woods. With the lillies and the birds. </div><div><br /></div><div>I grieve as she wanes.....for though I know it's impossible, I had the silly hope that one day my daughters would have her, too. I want her for them. There is no other Grandma like her. Precious lady. </div><div><br /></div><div>*sigh* I didn't start out wanting to write about her, since I know there are not enough words to tell who she was and what she meant to me. Dear, dear lady. But, that is the way of fingers that type and words and thoughts, I guess..... </div><div><br /></div><div>More tomorrow. Not so melancholy.</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831164461333348108.post-10820823854586625382011-02-18T13:23:00.000-08:002011-02-18T13:47:53.068-08:00Everything is ChangingI recently told a friend I had quit telling everyone our plans for the upcoming year....because they keep changing. We don't know what we're going to do when we grow up yet.<div><br /></div><div>Just 6 short months ago, I welcomed my husband into our new home, after having given birth to our 2nd child, moved cross-country, and said Hello Again to the military. We (mercifully) found a wonderful church immediately, settled into a routine, and new school schedule (Ben is home a lot), had our first Christmas here, and.....promptly began talking about moving and changing jobs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The military offers us certain paychecks and certain deployments. Getting out gives us Uncertainty. It may provide freedom to decide on a job that both satisfies & provides. It may not promise us proximity to our family, but it will definitely give us more time as a family. No other job outside the military demands 12-15 months of family separation. BUT, this "other job" may not exist. We may never find it...the Recession might keep jobs, money, and housing (not to mention a church & good community) from us for....who knows how long?</div><div><br /></div><div>We have a conversation about Options almost every day. One day we'll feel we're leaning towards re-enlisting, the next we'll feel comfortable about even Poverty outside the military--"as long as we're together."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the mean-time, we take our lives one day at a time here. We enjoy our church family, invite people over, talk about our friendships, and I continue advertising for the studio. I think privately, we both know in our hearts that we'll not be able to predict what we're going to do in 12 months, when our ETS date strikes. The piano students may or may not come....the job we're hoping for may or may not present itself on the east coast. We may or may not have to tell our friends here Goodbye. AGAIN. But the long talks we had will come as a comfort to us later, once we've made our decision. "Well, we did talk about it a LOT. We did the best we could," we'll tell ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's difficult to have these conversations about the future. I fight with the reality of letting go of our little community we're rooting into right now. I want to watch my friends' children grow up. I want to become accustomed to Thursday night rehearsals, Wednesday night home group, and Tuesday teaching. I REALLY don't want to move again.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I miss my friends on the east coast, too. And my family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even if we move to Virginia, it might not last. If Ben pursues a job with the F.B.I., they might move us anywhere in the CONUS for his first assignment. Two years, we will have spent in Va. with our family, finishing up school.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, like I said. It's one day at a time. I hosted a Valentine's party this past Monday. It was exciting meeting new friends, seeing old ones, and getting to know their kids (again). I pushed aside the thoughts (as always) of how temporary these relationships are....and pretended for a bit......that this was our Home.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess, (as always) I am longing for Heaven, when all my relationships are eternal, and everyone I love will always be present.</div>Susannah Forsheyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789037705502234165noreply@blogger.com1