Party like a princess...

So times are a changing here in the King household. Almost 2 teens live here, and soon to be a bunch of pre-teens to follow. :) Trying to...

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year?

Did you have a Merry Christmas 2014?
i did.

Are you having a Happy New Year in 2015 so far?
i am.

I cannot believe time is flying by at warp speed. AGAIN.
ugh.

I may have mentioned before that my WORD for 2015 is SAVOR.
and, by the looks of my blog, it looks like I am living that up.
Savoring other things that is, and not taking the time I need too, to update here.

I used to be so good at making this a priority.
oh. how times have changed. :/

So. back to savoring.
i feel like life can change so drastically at any minute.
any. minute.
do you ever wonder when devestation will hit you?
like life has been too easy?
i have. i wonder. at the Lord's plan for me, and my family.
when will devestation strike us. and how will we handle it?
am i savoring NOW before tragedy hits?
that is my goal.
to SLOW down. to take life in. NOW.

to SAVOR.


what am i spending my days doing? how am i savoring this season that i am in?

well. besides the small task of serving the Lord the best way i know how...
thru serving and loving my family WELL, that seems to be taking a lot out of me.
that is just the mundane stuff.
like packing lunches x 4...i won't do the math.
and laundry. well. we won't do the math there either.
folding. and putting away. i fail MISERABLY at this. daily.
i hate having a clean pile of laundry laying somewhere to be folded.
but it happens so frequently. i am trying to work on that.
and dinners and lunches for matt, and whomever may stumble in for that time period.
and coffee and muffins.
trying to keep baked goods around here is crazy.

let me tell you a secret.
farmers find a way into your kitchen.
when they are welcomed with a hot cup of coffee and a homemade treat.
they just do.
they even forgive your clean laundry pile on the floor. (i think?)
and walk around it. to wash their hands. :))
and i love that. so i strive to do that around here.

so the mundane is keeping me busy.
trying to serve my family with a happy heart.
sometimes that is easy, and sometimes it is not.
it helps me to focus on serving the Lord.
i am striving to become more like Jesus in my lifetime.
and serving my family is how i can do that best in this season.

that is not even encorporating fun snuggly bedtimes.
or baths each night.
or all the other things that take up our time...like life groups, and dancing at cavod, and piano lessons, and children's church, and good news club at school, and baseball is about to start, and reading outloud to my kids, coloring with them, cooking with them...the list, it just goes on and on.

i am busy.
and i don't know how i would fit a job into this life of mine?
i am so very thankful and blessed that i do not "need" to work outside of the home,
during this busy season.
so.very.thankful.
and i don't take it for granted, for a minute.
thank you BABE for working hard for us!!
i so admire his strength, determination and work ethic!

he is such a hard worker.
and not a complainer.
i do not take this for granted either.
if i had to go outside today and WORK in it...i would complain.
i am almost sure of it.
it is a balmy 17 out this morning, and the wind is howling away.
i am dreading going to the store, with a 3 year old.
what an easy life i have!!

so. much has happened since i last posted.

For ONE. my first born baby girl, kaycee agnes, turned 10.
be still my heart, would you?
it is such an honor to be her mom.
we kid around all the time, because she is a LOT like her mama.
i guess this could kick me in the butt, pretty soon, but for now...

she is easy.
quiet. (which is a gift and sorrow all in one, i know.)
responsible.
smart.
determined.
beautiful.
simple. by this i mean jeans and sneaks.
and a scarf-that she knitted. and hair pulled back. i mean s.i.m.p.l.e.
she follows the rules.
modesty. no problem here.
(that is already a problem with her sister campbell, but we'll talk about that, another time.)  :))
kind hearted.
artistic. loves drawing. painting. singing. dancing. knitting. writing. scrapbooking.
she is starting to crave her own space.
that is hard. because well. she doesn't have any. :(
she must share a room, that is all there is to that.
i try to believe by having to share space and things, and space and things,
it will just make her one rock star of a fighter. :)) and appreciative.
maybe she will one day live in a small tiny village across the ocean.
loving on people. all in her space. and then i will know.
why it was important for her to learn to share now.
but, that would probably be too easy, now wouldn't it?
i wonder what she will BE?
a wife? a teacher? a doctor? a mom? a pharmacist? a dancer? who knows.
but i get excited dreaming about her future.

for TWO. i turned 37 years old.
eeeekkkkkkk.
i am getting old. my hands are aging, as well as all other parts of my body.
still no gray hair.
so i kind of love that.
matt is graying away. but for some reason, i find that very handsome on him. ;)
i had a great day of celebration. well. really week. kind of.
it was a fabulous day for me to reflect on my life.
and the woman i am becoming.

THIRDLY...
we traveled to the Eastern Shore for an extended Buckwalter family
gathering to celebrate my dad's parents 70th wedding anniversary, and upcoming 90th birthdays.

WOW. 90 years. and 70 years married to the same beautiful person?


the reality of  this being highly unusual these days.
in a world that is filled with cancer, and heart attacks and strokes, and tragic accidents all around, what a glorious time for our family.
to take it all in.
the generational blessings we are receiving from the mighty hand of the Lord.
the provision.
it's hard to grasp.

a time of catching up with family around the country.
my family (my dad, mom, and all their children-that's me, and our families, plus, one cousin and his wife, are the only locals).
the other's span the country...from California, to Colorado, to Conneticutt, and Virginia, and New Jersey...we don't see each other much anymore, and we are all so different. so, it's always kind of a hoot to catch up. overhearing stories of doctor's practices and how Obama care has impacted them, to teacher talk, to lawyer talk, to seminary talk, to just me. plain ol mom talk.
we span a lot.
A LOT.

it was a fun time to catch up. to hear stories of my dad and his siblings growing up. to think thru my own childhood again.

trying to get some pictures uploaded here...having a rough time.
ugh.

anyway...
hope to catch up again soon.

we were at the King Cabin in Potter County for the weekend.

Chickens come again next week. in the BLITZING cold.
i don't know how those little peeps are gonna keep warm. enough. ;(

plenty for another post.

stay warm where you are.
love each other well.
and read.
i didn't even mention i am savoring time with the Lord, AND
reading some really good books.

[like, i am in tears now, reading...

the hardest peace (expecting grace in the midst of life's hard)
by: kara tippetts.

a story of kara tippets. she knows the ordinary days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow...and the devestating reality of stage IV cancer.

it is HEART WRENCHING.
you can find her blog at: www.mundanefaithfulness.com.]

take care lovees,
xo.
mis.



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

in forever. AND my sunporch renovation.

so...life gets crazy,  hugh?

i was reminded of that this morning.
our district, had a 2 hour delay, which i really do love.
lazy school mornings, are one of the best things around, in my opinion.
infact...i am still in my sweats.
it seemed cozy enough to stay in them.
all.day.long.
i mean it was 7 degrees outside this morning.

i love that i can do that.
don't take it for granted for a SECOND people. :))

anyway, this particular morning i had 4 extra children.
it didn't really occur to me that that actually meant 9 children in the house.
until around 10 am, and by then, we only had a half hour more to go.
it got a little bit crazy.
it was a little bit *too cold to send them outside.
it really was.
so that meant...
there was ball throwing. and wii dancing. and wrestling. and crying.
all.my.kids. of course. :))
made me thankful i really only have 5.
Thanks for the reminder Lord. ;)

*************************************************************

have not taken the time to post lately.
i apologize for that.
i have been trying to get some reading done...so when i take a free minute,
i cozy up to the fire, and read a chapter or 2.
a couple of my favorite things about winter.
the stove in my basement, and I read more, oh...with coffee.
and.
i guess those are the ONLY things i like about winter.
i am a summertime girl.

************************************************************

so, i realized i never did a post about my sun porch renovation.
i love.love.love it...
and cannot wait to enjoy it in the summer.
it definately gets chilly out there in the winter...

we moved to the farm, the summer of 2007, and this was one of the first rooms i painted.
i decided on a deep orange, almost rust color.
got it right out of a magazine,
and i totally loved it.
still loved it, but thought the room would be so much prettier white.

as my mom had tried to convince me, when i went with rust.
thanks mom. ;)

did you know white is trending now?
and i am glad.
it makes the room look so much bigger.

here are a few "before's".
from dinner's i hosted.

we don't eat out there a lot anymore,
since we knocked the wall out of our kitchen,
there is so much more room for me to entertain there now...
but sometimes, big dinner parties are still held in the sun porch,
as seen here...










getting started.
i do love behr paint, from home depot.
coverage is good. Soooooo much better than years ago.




here it is before i painted the trim.
i decided to go ALL white. Trim too.
i really love the look.
of all white.



 and, getting finished up...
hopefully i will post a picture or two next week,
what it looks like now...i have the roman shades up again.
it is cozy.




and as with any renovation...it gives me a real desire to clean out.
and simplify.

seems i like to do that after Christmas also.
what i am doing now. :))

seems like these pictures aren't real clear...

i think some came from instagram. which would explain it.
you get the idea. :))

is everyone un-decorated from Christmas?

not quite. but soon. i promise.