Beautiful Life

Family Tribute

 

(Grandfather and his parents and sister)

I come from an Old Quaker family with names like Mott, Kirk, Binns and Livesey. We go back many generations. I think this makes me the luckiest girl in the world.   This part of my ancestry is well docuented. Any time I have the opportunity to go back to the community my Grandparents, Great Grandparents and Great Great Grandparents and those before them built up, I try to go.  Those visits always bless me because the community is very special.  This last weekend I had the blessing of being able to go to attend the memorial service for my Great Uncle.

As I entered the Paullina Friends Meeting, I immediately began missing those who are gone like my grandmother (she was a lively, loving, ginger).  And I longed for those days when I was just a 5 year old girl, sitting, watching the wind blow through the Meeting House as we would sit and meditate on God.  I wrote my Grandfather this afternoon and decided I would share it with you so you will know the example set by these wonderful people.   

 

Dear Grandpa,

I was just revisiting my thoughts from the weekend and I felt compelled to write you.

From the minute I walked into the Meeting House yesterday, I could feel this emotion creeping up in me.  Thankfully I had a good 15 minutes to reflect before O's children began speaking.  But I wanted you to know something. I have always loved you more than I could express.  From the time I was a little child, you have been very special to me.  But I was able to articulate a lot of "why" as I reflected during those few quiet moments.  And something hit me. It actually isn't just you.  It's that whole Meeting Community.   The Paullina Friends Meeting, as a group, have had more impact and have taught me more about how to live than nearly any other thing I can think of (other than my own Mother).  

The way you care for each other is the lynch pin of everything I admire from all of you.  Everyone is so tender and so loving and willing to help, even when it is inconvenient.  

Sincere Faith - you live out what you preach.  It's quite incredible.  I deeply respect that about you. From CPS to living simply to steering clear of negativity to forgiving, I've watched for 34 years and you (and your Friends community) have been consistent nearly the whole time.

Food/Hospitality - I was once again delighted yesterday, as I always am when I observe Sunday Dinner, at how those ladies thoughtfully prepare, feed and love everyone.  I watched L struggle to pour water into cups (but she did it).  I watched ME zip around, making sure everything was out just right. I watched the men do the dishes.  And I thought of Grandma and all those ladies who are no longer here who used to serve people tenderly.  

Maintaining grounds/buildings- from the volunteers who delicately moved that Meeting House twice to the grave diggers to the summer mowers to D shoveling and salting the walks in the cold.  Those grounds are loved and cared for.

Prayers lifted - the best part of O's funeral, in my opinion, was his brother's prayer.  It was so sincere and tender.  And I know the thoughts and meditations of most of your generation were along those same lines.  And the meditation does not stop at meeting.  I know those Paullina Friends will be thinking about M and her kids for many more weeks which is both faithful and comforting.

The treatment of outsiders- The Meeting has always taken in outsiders as their own.  From refugees to exchange students to visitors, you all have never met strangers.  Everyone feels welcome and loved.

Dealing with differences - I know that there are differences of opinions at times.  But even when there is disagreement, there is still sincere friendship.  And as far as I have seen, the disagreements have always been handled respectfully.

Deep Friendships - I can only dream that some day I will have friends as wonderful as the ones you and Grandma have had.  In all of my travels I have never seen a group of people more sincere towards each other.  This type of friendship is something that I hope I will find some time in my adult life.  

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been born into a Paullina Friend's Meeting family.  I've certainly never done anything to deserve it.  But I have learned so much about how I want to live my life from all of you.  And I just wanted you to know.

With thanks and love,  maria

 

Saturday Night Dinner

We have a new tradition in our home.  Sunday dinner has long been something I've thought was wonderful however, by the time we get home from church, it's too late for me to start anything wonderful (unless I use the crock pot - which is fun once in a while but not every week).  So, we decided to have weekly Saturday Night Family Dinner instead.  Food is a way to communicate love and that is my goal for these dinners. 

We had a great time tonight.  Here is what we had:

1.  Pork Chops with Butternut Squash and Apple Stuffing - I do not like pork much but my husband and children love it.  This was a hit.

 

2.  Herb Roasted New Potatoes - these were good.

 

3.  Green Beans - These are delish with lemon and garlic.  

 

4.  Pineapple Upside Down Cake  - this was the best part of the meal.

(all food photos taken from Williams Sonoma - where I got most of my menu for the evening. )

Progress Update

There is some progress on our home.  Right now the frame is boarded up until the Tyvek goes on.

The front porch (they are pouring it tomorrow) 

Front view from the street

The back view.  I love the minimalist look of just one door and no windows, don't you?  Ha.  It's ugly as sin right now.  

This is the view from the foyer into the living room and kitchen.  

And welcome to our dining room.

It has been exciting to see all of the interior rooms take shape. I can visualize so much more now. The roof trusses are coming tomorrow.  The forecast says we should have another 6 days of decent weather. Let's hope the roof is done before the snow arrives.

Welcome 2012

Welcome 2012!!! I pray that this year will bring all that the pineapple symbolizes: hospitality, love, friendship and a gracious spirit.  Lord, please help these qualities embody us all. 

"Always be eager to practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

 

 

Santa brought us...

The stomach flu.  I wish I were joking but we have been locked up in our home since Christmas night.  It has not been fun.  I hope it will pass soon.  

On the bright side, we've done a lot of snuggling, watching movies and reading.  

And my house is sanitized (yes, I am a bit OCD). I basically did spring cleaning early.  

I hope we can ring 2012 on a healthy note.  I've totally let go of getting my second batch of cards out for the new year.  For those of you who sent me a card and did not get one in return, I will send you one next year.

This last week has just not gone the way we hoped it would.  Sometimes life is like that, isn't it?

xo, maria

Christmas is Coming

It's nearly Christmas!  And I never got to my blog post about organizing for Christmas.  So sorry friends:) I am "off" this year.  With moving,  getting my two babes settled into new routines, making new friends, home construction, and more, blogging has taken a back seat.   You will have to wait till next year, God willing, for my holiday "organization" post.

But, I will share with you that I have incorporated a new thing to our Christmas routine.  This year we are focusing on the birth of Jesus and spending time together.  We are NOT focusing on our Christmas list and our presents. My children will each receive 3 presents from my husband and I.  GASP!!!

In addition they each get a new pair of darling holiday pajamas on Christmas Eve and an overflowing stocking from Santa on Christmas morning.  As for the three gifts, I picked three nice things I knew each child would love. And I wrapped them special with lots of love. 

Last year was just too much.  By the time I got everything wrapped and under the tree, and added all of the gifts with gifts from grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., there were so many gifts. I could tell that ERH wasn't even appreciative. She was overwhelmed.  And the meaning of Christmas was gone.  Right then and there I promised myself, this year would be different.   We needed to refocus the holiday...pronto. 

So this year I am doing more baking with the kids, more snuggling by the fire, more talking about Jesus and what He means to us, more giving to others, more spending time with family.

Exterior Color Opinions Needed

I need some exterior color opinions.  We have color restrictions in our neighborhood and white is not on the list.  Don't think too hard about that one, it will just stress you out.  If we didn't have a restriction, I would have gone for white siding with black accents.  But that was not to be.

On a happy note,  I found two color combinations that I think I like. Which one should I go with? I have a favorite but I want to know what you think.  

Option 1 

option 2 - 

Keep in mind this is my stone

And I am planning on using this door system (which I can get in a multitude of colors - I originally wanted black when white was the siding color)

 

Finally, I would like to have shutters on my home (black or some shade darker than my siding).  

Thank you:)  Maria

 

Tidbits

Here is what's going on around here.

1.  I turned 34 on December 1 and I feel younger and better than I have since I was 27! YAY for that.

2.  We took the kids to Disney on Ice last weekend.  They LOVED it which made it fun for us.

3.  The foundation of our new house is in!!!

4.  This house stuff is about to do me in.  We had our preliminary budget meeting and I was WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY over budget.  Imagine that. Ha, ha.  So, I've spent the week revising things to make this home more affordable.  After spending a lot of time in thought I realized one thing - the most important thing to me is that this home is well built and that our family is blessed by it.  I do not need fancy to feel blessed.  It needs to be practical and in our budget.  It is amazing how expensive certain things are.  It's all about prioritizing, which is exactly what I've done.  I will detail where I've cut back as soon as I have the concrete numbers but I can say for now that I cut over $100,000.00 very easily.  How sad is that?  

5.  Did you know that painted wood cabinets are much more expensive than stained wood?  I never knew that...but I do now:)

6.  I need to start working out again.  I've been eating really well but I haven't been moving enough.

7.  This weekend I get to see two of my favorite sorority sisters.  These ladies and I are such kindred spirits. I can't wait.  

8.  We got our Christmas tree on Sunday.  We went to a tree farm and had an adventure.  Greg got the van stuck in the mud, we had a hard time finding a pretty tree but we knew we couldn't leave without something without the kids freaking out, etc.  We felt like the Griswolds and we laughed our heads off about it.

Progress

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!  I know we did.  We celebrated 3 times and I am a few pounds heavier than I was at the beginning of last week.  That is surely a sign that a good time was had.

I managed to get most of my holiday shopping finished and my Christmas cards mailed last week. Some of you have asked if I would write some holiday postings about how I organize everything.  I would love to but I am so "off" this year with our big move and building a home.  We will see if I can get that done in the next few days.  

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time for me to refocus back on our new house again for a couple of weeks.  I wanted to thank you for all of your advice regarding stone vs painted brick.  We went with the stone, even though I honestly like painted brick better. As some of you pointed out, our climate isn't really kind to painted brick.  And I didn't want to risk having it peel off in the wind.  

After three trips to the stone yard, I finally found a stone I liked.  Actually, I love it.   While I don't have a great photo of it, the photo at the top of this post was my insipration and the bad cell phone photo below is what I picked. The masons could not find the exact stone in the photo but they did manage to find a suitable alternative. Ours will be darker but will go equally as well with black and shades of white. I'm glad that decision is done.

Along with the fun there has been a little bit of stress and a few regrets.  

1.  Our driveway will be steeper than I wanted it.  The neighbors built their home higher than most.  We need to be sure our house is high enough so we don't have water issues.  This means our driveway will be a hill. This is not what I wanted at all.

2.  Our garage protrudes more than I want it to.  This is my fault.  I did not notice this "issue"  until a few days ago.  Gasp!  I was so focused on other things, I forgot to change it.  :)  My husband keeps reminding me that the house will still be nice.  He is right.  

I am told these little things are just part of the process.  And in the big picture of life, this house building is insignificant.  

To end on a good note, I found the most wonderful website I just had to share with you.  If you want to look at some serious eye candy, check GP Schafer.  Gill is an amazing architect with great style.  I wasted hours on his site, drooling at all of his work.

Love to you all,  Maria

Decisions, decisions

(our backyard)

I went out to our lot this morning and saw something beautiful!  The crew was out clearing the trees. Hallelujah!!!

I have been a bad blogger lately because I have been working hard to modify our plans for the city.  Our city requires 25% stone or masonry on each home.  They also ask that each home be "natural in color."   Many homes in our neighborhood are beige and brown with stone fronts.  And I think they all look too much alike.  

As many of you know, I prefer more of a Southern look. So, it has been a struggle for me but thankfully, we've come up with some solutions.  Here are the options.  I would love your opinions.  

1.  Painted Brick

2. Stone with white

 

3.  Different stone with white