The C.S. Lewis Tree

This is one of two identical music globes. The first one is put away, it was my Grandma Trent's and used to sit under my parents' Christmas tree when I was a child. This one I found in an antique shop on an anniversary trip. The original has a small crack at the top and the star has broken away and lays on the bottom of the globe now. How like the Lord to provide this replacement so that the original can be safely packed away. As a bonus, each of my boys will receive one for their own homes some day.


Reindeer ornament, bought at Garden Ridge to decorate our second Christmas tree in the C.S. Lewis room.

Purchased on a anniversary trip and on this tree because it matches the bronze and golds of the decorations in this room.

Birds! The Mr. loves these little guys and picks them up whenever he sees them. We have to perch them high though, or Donny goes "hunting" when no one is looking!

Antique ornament that hung on my Grandma Trent's tree in the 1970s

Another bird, doesn't he look like he's smiling?

Do you see a theme here?

Doggy angel tree topper! I must admit, this is my whimsical contribution. The Mr. isn't a big fan. We had a pretty star (from Target) on the tree that was on its last leg so I grabbed my chance to use my dog angel.

Our second Christmas tree is found in the living room which I call the C.S. Lewis room. This room was a formal living room when my grandparents were alive. Since moving in, it has become a quiet place where I like to read or write or just be still. There's no television in here, just a comfy chair, computer and piano. It's the overflow room when the family is all here for those who want to converse without shouting over the television.

This tree was my Grandma Trent's and when she passed away in 2008 it was given to me just in time since we now had two rooms needing trees, having moved here in 2007.

This tree is more intentionally decorated than the sentimental tree in the family room. We didn't have ornaments for it so we purchased most of what you see at Garden Ridge in the blues, golds and bronzes that match the room itself. There are only a few older ornaments, those which came from my Trent grandparents' home. This tree expresses a lot of the Mr.'s preferences, as you can see, he's a fan of the little birds. I have to admit they are pretty cute. The poinsettias I added this year when I ran across a box full of silk ones that I had used elsewhere over the years. I used wire cutters to separate the ones that were potted and tucked them into the tree for some color and added fullness.

Beneath the tree is my replacement music globe and the flag from the Mr.'s dad's memorial service in Alabama over Labor Day. We haven't found a permanent home for the flag yet and I like having it there this year, his first in heaven.

If we live long enough, this tree may become sentimental tree number two, after all, how many more anniversary ornaments will fit on the other one? :)

(I wonder if the C. S. Lewis title has left you hoping for something much more fanciful? Sorry! This room is the place where I read and think and pray and write and that is where the connection ends. )

Family room Christmas tree~

Mac's high school football number
I believe this is a porcupine, a gift from Lisa

Snow baby reminds me of my babies

Tortoise & hare, from 2009 anniversary trip. This was the year Dean's parents moved here, he was a hare & she is a tortoise. :)

2011 anniversary trip, 2 robins

2011 anniversary trip

2010 anniversary trip. In Autumn 2011 we had a crazy squirrel in our yard who was putting acorns in our yard furniture instead of burying them.

Chapel, gift from my mom.

2008 anniversary trip

2007 anniversary trip. We have Mexican food every Christmas Eve with daboyz.

Traditional Bronner's ornament, we each have one, including Donny.

Our family room tree is decorated with only sentimental ornaments collected since daboyz were born. I've shared just a few here. Some were chosen by them, some were gifts, some are from my grandparent's trees and every year since 2006 we have purchased an ornament on our anniversary trip. There are no ornaments on this tree that are "fillers." Each has a story.

At his home, Jay has my gramma's little Christmas tree with my grampa's angel tree topper. Just yesterday, Mac was looking at our sentimental tree and said that when he has his own home, he is going to start with a very plain tree and add ornaments year by year until he, too, has a tree of memories.

Although it may not be the most sophisticated, this is my very favorite kind of Christmas tree.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Dining alcove. C. S. Lewis Room



Dining alcove/C.S. Lewis Room

Kitchen

Family room

Thank the Lord that after almost two weeks of feeling somewhere between crummy and cruddy, I felt pretty good this weekend. Not only was it time for the Christmas decorations to come out but honestly, the old house hadn't been really cleaned for a little while. Keep that a secret please.

One of my favorite types of blogs are those home and garden types. Recipes, decorating and the like. So if you are running short on post ideas, please post some pictures of your home and what you are working on, dreaming of or just cooking for dinner. And if you don't like those blogs, sorry, that's all I got at the moment!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Weekend wonderland!

1. Putting away Autumn decorations.
2. Decking the halls, and walls, and windows and corners and table-tops and possibly the dog.
3. A big pot of soup is on the agenda.
4. Some Internet shopping.
5. Walgreen's run.
6. I will I will I will clean this house!
7. Going to make my master Christmas shopping plan.
8. I love old Christmas classics. I have very little interest in anything post 1980.
9. I, therefore, use the Classic Holiday music channel on my TV constantly.
10. We need a new tree topper and I'm very particular. Send me some samples so I don't have to go shopping please. It should light but also be very vintage and by vintage I don't mean Victorian.

Friday

Are you participating in Black Friday? Me? No. For one thing I'm working and for another thing, no. I just don't want to. It looks like a miserable experience. I think those who don't like to shop in the first place would not be able to find a deal cheap enough to enjoy Black Friday. Now, if it was black & white Friday? I'd be there.
We drew names for our Christmas gift-buying yesterday and I drew my mom. That'll be easy enough. Sometimes a person draws a person for whom shopping is impossible. I will not name names. Ok, I'll name names, my dad, my brother-in-law and daboyz just because we already buy for them in the first place.
The Mr. put up our Christmas tree in the family room and naturally, half of the lights immediately went out. So we sat here last night with half a lit tree. What are ya gonna do? He'll work on it today.
I better get going, off to the hospital where I'm hoping for a good day that goes by quickly, I'm looking forward to the weekend and getting the rest of my Christmas decorations out. Hoping your holiday was wonderful and that your Friday is whatever color makes you happiest!

Juice! Zest!

Happy-maker number two, a citrus juicer. I have one much like this one that we bought at an antique shop while on vacation. It's not often used, but it makes me happy just the same. I like the weight of it in my hand. When I bake anything requiring lemon, orange or lime juice or zest I pull it out and juice away. I've never used it to make a pitcher of fresh juice, that seems like an entirely overwhelming process. Actually, come to think of it, I have used it to make fresh lemonade. Which leads me to another simple happiness...

Do not underestimate the power of freshly zested or juiced citrus in your cooking and baking! It's requires no particular skill and perhaps just a few extra minutes and does truly improve the fresh crisp taste of citrus as opposed to purchased juice or zest.

A citrus juicer is one of those things that is usually only found in "established" homes. You know what I mean, no one particularly remembers where it came from but in some houses if you were to ask for it, someone could find your a citrus juicer and it would probably be a lovely heavy glass one with a little handle on one side and a spout on the other. The citrus juicer might not be used for a decade, but there it will be. The new home of a person furnished entirely with new purchases will not have a juicer. And it certainly needs one, in order to be counted as a real home. It's in the Bible.

In addition to the old fashioned juicer, I recommend a zester and a reamer. Both inexpensive and easily found at Target, K-Mart, etc. At right you see a reamer and a microplane which can be used to zest.

Carry on.

Awww honey honey

I have decided as I lay on the couch feeling oh so sorry for myself, to reflect upon happy makers. If you are very lucky, this will be a series. You can use it for insomnia. :)

Item number one which I love and adore and always makes me happy...

Honey!

I luuuuuurv honey! I love it a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. I love it in hot tea, i love it on warm biscuits, I love it drizzled over pretty much anything. I love it with sharp cheddar cheese and apples. I love the way it looks. It's is unimproveable! Simply perfect. The honey I love is the honey my grandparents had in their cabinets is the honey that Laura Ingalls Wilder loved. Is the honey Winnie the Pooh loves!

Is the honey from the Bible!

Oh honey!

I love honey!

I am sure there are people out there who do not love honey. I pray for them.

As for me and my house, we will love the honey.

There is nothing nicer when you are sick or just a little chilly or would like to feel comforted than a cup of tea with honey. Not so long ago, Jay was over and saying he had made himself a cup of hot tea at home but it wasn't as good as mine. Mac answered, "That's because mom puts honey in our tea, it's the secret ingredient to delicious tea."

What a smart boy! P.S., Jay stopped that day to buy honey.

I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that 85% of honey consumed in the United States is not really honey because it doesn't contain enough pollen to be called truly honey. It's more of a honey-like product. Like cheese food.

Jesus help us!

Be careful out there! You must must must buy LOCAL HONEY. You must! It's really not hard to find if one pays attention.

Now, go out there and have some honey.

Little foxes~

I seem to be a little left of center the last few days. I am not feeling well, that certainly doesn't help. The not feeling well is interfering with keeping up with the house which creates a vicious circle. I'm the type who usually gets up early and completes my housework front to back, top to bottom in about 2 hours. Not so at the moment. I'm moving slowly, tiring easily and needing lots of sit-downs in between tasks. The laundry is done and folded but not put away. The family room is straightened but not dusted and vacuumed. In the bedrooms the linens are changed and the rooms are free of clutter but there is dust on the surfaces and the hardwood floors are begging for a sweep. The kitchen table holds all of the items I've picked up in my half-hearted efforts and gotten no further in putting away. Heaven knows were it not for the dishwasher there would likely be dishes in the sink. I don't like it one little bit.

Then there is the wonderful Thanksgiving holiday in a few days. I do love Thanksgiving so very much from awakening to the parade and a cup of coffee to making traditional delicious food that brings back the warm memories of those who have gone to heaven and the time together with loved ones. My body is making it hard to head full-throttle into the cooking and baking I want to do and adding insult to injury, I am working on Thanksgiving (and the Friday after.) I'm trying to get Wednesday off to at least allow myself a day to enjoy the cooking process as I am bringing a few dishes to my mom's when I'm off work on Thursday.

And there it is again, another frustration! The Mr. and I absolutely love having the holidays and family gatherings here. Being my grandparent's home, it feels like having everyone back at the family home when we are able to be the hosts. In the 20 years before we moved here we lived in a very small home that was not conducive to comfortably hosting the family. This year with my work schedule we aren't able to have any of the holidays here (I am working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.) My mom will have dinner and it will be fine and I know she and my dad are happy to open their house to us all. It's the little fox inside my heart trying to spoil the pleasures of holidays that aren't going by my plans.

I wanted to do some Christmas decorating over the weekend, more of my ideas lost in the uncooperative circumstances of the moment.

Since I'm in full swing of bearing my frustrations, I may as well complete the list. As you know, I am rather the hermit. Lock me inside my home and I'm happy. My circle of nearest and dearest is small. But on Sunday one of those nearest and dearest was having a baby shower for her daughter whom I've known forever and a day and guess what? This doggone body of mine with sore throat and ears and muscles and head kept me at home for one of the few occasions I wish to actually attend! I consumed gallons of hot tea and honey for 3 days attempting to wash away the bug without success. I couldn't go and make the mama sick (nor the grandmama and great grandmama to be.) Insert stomping foot here.

And and and and. Another dear friend, Kevin, lost his dad this week. The funeral was late Sunday afternoon. Kevin was at the Mr.'s dad's funeral. Kevin would be there for anything happening in my life if he had to walk on broken glass. I should have gone to the baby shower and then to the funeral. As you have guessed by now, I didn't make it to either. The two events I would actually want to attend I missed. And the devil is having a lot to say about letting my friends down, they who would never let me down.

People are so good to you and you are so self-centered.

That's the long and short of it.

And your house is messy and you are making your poor mom host Thanksgiving and you won't even be with your family for the holidays.

Oh dear, it's a melancholy moment for sure.

On the face of it, these are smallish disappointments and yet they are working together to spoil one day after another. Little foxes spoiling the vines. I know the scripture refers to small sins separating us from the Lord but I think little disappointments can add up to make us feel separated when we really aren't.

While my emotions are interpreting the situation I am working to put my spirit in charge. My spirit knows for certain that God ordains my footsteps and there is just as much joy and peace to be found in these days as there might be if things were happening more to my liking. I don't want my emotions to become so prominent that I refuse to recognize the good in things. I'm working on it.

So pray for me, if you will, that this emotion-driven attitude will be covered by Spirit-centered peace. I find myself worrying about the holiday at the hospital, will we have adequate staff? Will it be a terrible day? The enemy loves to use dread against us, doesn't he?

Now I must make it a point to post again when my spirits begin to lift, as they will at any moment. God remains on the throne, and little foxes are easily scattered.

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines...Solomon 2:15

So we, thy people and the sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks forever; and we will show forth thy praise to all generations

Psalm 79:13

I want stuff!

1. I want a smaller light-weight camera.
2. I want a food processor.
3. I want this house to be clean.
4. I want someone else to clean this house.
5. I want a Kindle.
6. I want new pajamas.
7. I want a different hair cut.
8. I want a double oven.
9. I want new glasses.
10. I want a cup of tea with honey.

Sadness, prayer & caution~

We had a taste of winter yesterday afternoon as snow flurries blew across Southeastern, Michigan. There was a lot of "Oh no!" heard here and there but I still find the sight of snow so peacefully beautiful I simply sat in my office and stared at the sky for a while.
It has been a difficult week for some of the staff and my heart hurts for them as they deal with loss.
A nurse's elderly mom passed away over the weekend. Not unexpected but still so hard.

A dear friend, Kevin, lost his dad this week. If you could pray for him and his family as they prepare for the funeral on Sunday, that would be appreciated. His dad had a stroke several years ago from which he recovered but had another severe stroke on Saturday and went home to Jesus on Wednesday evening.
Another friend got word on Monday that her 18 year old cousin had passed away in her dorm room over the weekend. It seems that the young lady had a seizure while her room mate was away for the weekend and was discovered when the room mate returned on Sunday afternoon. Of course, that family needs much prayer.
As a footnote to this terrible tragedy, I need to say a word about Facebook and recommend we all use it as a cautionary tale. This young lady passed away at a college two hours away from her mom's home. The college immediately sent a team to the home to inform the mom in person. In the meantime, the room mate began almost immediately facebooking her friend's death. You can imagine what happened. Mom found out her sweet daughter had passed on Facebook. The rest of the family found out the same way. These kids didn't mean any harm, they were communicating their sadness in the method their generation uses. But PLEASE be sure when you post on Facebook that the news you might need to share has already been appropriately shared with the people immediately impacted and PLEASE teach your kids to do the same. Our kids simply lack that internal monitor where communication is concerned, immediate sharing is too easy.
Have a blessed, safe and peaceful day.

Project Mantle Bed

Projects projects projects around the house! Do they ever end?

Mac, a former basement dweller, moved up stairs to sleep in the spare room (Spare Oom) last winter when it was particularly frigid and has never returned to the nether regions below. This is a little project that really doesn't seem difficult that I'd like to use in his room. In aforementioned basement, is a fireplace mantle that formerly lived on The Farm. It's stained a medium walnut color.

In the ever rotating furniture co-op, when we moved furniture to Amy's, we claimed a black shaker style dresser for Mac's room. So we are all ready to get this room done!

Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you?

I'm taking a little poll. The room has light mocha walls and hardwood floors. The dresser is black. So...

1. What color should the mantle be?

2. What kind of fabric should I use?

3. What accent color/s should I use?

The completion of this project is now in your hands!

Vacation~

Our 25th anniversary vacation is officially a memory. Goodness, the planning and waiting seemed forever but the week was just a minute long! We decided at last to take a Michigan road trip, something that is becoming our favorite get-away. Not only do we love our beautiful state, but the economy and the opportunity to support local business and restaurant owners is an added benefit. Last Sunday after work we drove to Lansing where we stayed at the Lexington Hotel (lobby at left) We checked in at about 9:00 p.m. and were offered an upgrade! Our suite included a sitting room, bedroom, two full bathrooms, two large flat screen televisions and dessert in our room. What a great way to start our week! The next morning we stopped at Elderly Music in Lansing after breakfast in a local diner. What is Elderly Music you ask? It's a huge vintage instrument store. Fun? Uh, well, for some people! The Mr. is on the hunt for a vintage acoustic bass guitar for his anniversary gift and Elderly is the place to go it seems. After spending 9 days in Elderly music it was onward to...
Beautiful Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm not a city girl but Grand Rapids is so amazing even I love it. We dropped off our luggage and parked and then went to walk the city for a few hours, stopping for a cup of coffee. The weather was on the warm side (for November in Michigan) so we were comfortable strolling around, crossing the river on one bridge, walking down the streets and crossing back on another one. Finally at about 3:00 we headed back to the Amway Grand Hotel to check in but our room still wasn't ready so....upgrade! They had noted in our reservations that we were celebrating our 25th anniversary so we were given a deluxe suite! This room again had a sitting room, bedroom, two bathrooms, two televisions AND the most amazing view. The room was situated on one end of the 19th floor and three walls were wrap-around windows facing the river. Again, not a city girl, but even I could enjoy the beautiful lights at night shining on the river.

On Tuesday morning awoke before sunrise and watched the city come to life. We walked to a local cafe (The Sunrise Cafe) for a wonderful breakfast. I had granola pancakes, yum. Then a short walk to the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Over the last several years, the Mr. and I have developed a mutual love of art and spent much of our week in galleries admiring (or not) the work of local artists. The GRAM however, is a for-real museum with pieces from artist such as Picasso and Remington. We took our time wandering the rooms with the luxury of having no where else we needed to go. After a few hours at the museum it was off to a local pub for a light lunch and then more wandering around the city. That evening we had a wonderful dinner at Charlie's Crab as we watched the rain fall on the river.

On Wednesday morning it was time for check out and off to our next Michigan destination; Holland! We had decided to be particularly adventurous and try a new hotel; City Flats. The hotel is built on the most current environmentally friendly theories and the rooms are different than your average hotel room. I'm glad we had the experience, wouldn't go there again. My greatest complaint, the place was loud. The hallway and rooms are not carpeted so you can hear people stomping about down the halls, over your head and in the rooms around you. Every time the heat kicked on it literally sounded like a monsoon was descending on the town. The open concept of the room is attractive but there are moments in one's day when, despite the romance (or in preservation of it), one needs a little privacy. And can you believe it, no coffee maker in the room! Pishaw!

The crazy City Flats aside, the town is a true treasure. We spent hours and hours as the weather turned from a lovely 65 degrees to a frigid windy wet 35 in the course of the afternoon, walking up and down the streets. Antique shops, galleries, boutiques...all lovely. A late lunch in a local restaurant kept us full all day so for dinner we ordered fruit and cheese for our room and slept soundly after the walking walking walking. Well, the Mr. slept soundly, I listened to people walking about and the furnace rumbling through and I'm quite certain the bamboo based building was letting off some kind of chemical smell.

Thursday it was off for a few hours in Saugatuck, MI after again, breakfast in a local diner. Another day of strolling the streets with snow flurries coming down (which of course I loved.) In store after store we were greeted by the owner's dog, or perhaps the dogs own the stores in Saugatuck. Either way, I love that as much as snow. After a few hours in the chilly little village we stopped for hot cocoa and then headed for our final hotel in St. Joseph.

St. Joseph is a wonderful town on Lake Michigan. It's so beautiful, from the little shops to the historic cottage homes to the larger summer homes of the wealthy to the ultimate eye candy...Lake Michigan. Our room here was in our stand by Holiday Inn Express, always a safe choice. We did some shopping and had dinner at Shu's which faces Lake Michigan (and for you Michiganders, is owned by some branch of the Schuler family of Marshall.) After an early dinner we drove down to the beach and sat in the car to watch the sun set. In the car because it is cold on Lake Michigan in November! Shew! Still, so beautiful. It is no more breathtaking in the summertime than in the winter; majestic in all seasons.

After walking, eating and watching the sunset we returned to our room where we had a jacuzzi and soaked away the shivers because on Friday, it was time to head east and home.

Friday morning we headed back toward Dearbon on I-94 which is, in my opinion, a treat in itself, to drive across the farmlands of some of the prettiest town of the state. We stopped in Marshall, MI to do a little window shopping and stopping at the Mole Hole where we buy a Christmas ornament every year on our anniversary. Then it was home sweet home!

We had a wonderful and relaxing time doing just what we wanted each step of the way. We took some meals in fine restaurants enjoying china and formal service and some in mom & pop joints with place mats advertising the local tractor store. We walked and walked and walked and bought loose tea and hot cocoa and Christmas ornaments. Some mornings we slept late and on others (most others), we awoke in time to watch the sun rise in whatever town we happened to be. Cruises, resorts and all the vacation ideas in between settled into what was the perfect week for us, the Michigan tour 2011! :)

Psalm 103:11
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Mostly spice merchant stuff~

1. Always change the linens on your bed before you leave for vacation. Makes it soooo nice to come home to your own bed.

2. I bought two bags of loose tea at the Saugatuck Spice Merchant.

3. I could spend many happy hours at the Saugatuck Spice Merchant.

4. The Mr. rushed me at the Saugatuck Spice Merchant.

5. I need to return to the Saugatuck Spice Merchant.

6. I did not visit the store in Holland with the neato cool oils & cooking stuff and I need to go back and do that.

7. I really want to go back to the Saugatuck Spice Merchant.

8. How does one become a spice merchant?

9. We also bought an apple spice cake in St. Joseph but I don't remember the name of the bakery.

10. Where is a spice merchant around here?

PS: I googled it, The Spice Merchant has an online store AND a location in Ann Arbor!! Who's going with me?

Hey, it's good to be back home again~

It's amazing how fast a week of vacation goes by compared to a weekend of work! We are home from our Michigan road trip; refreshed and relaxed and glad to be back in our little house. We made stops in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Saugatuck, Douglas, St. Joseph and Marshall, MI. I honestly think I could vacation only in Michigan for the rest of my life and be happy. At our first two hotels we were upgraded for our anniversary, how nice is that? In Lansing we were given a two room suite with two bathrooms and in Grand Rapids, again a two room suite with windows on three sides facing the river and again...two bathrooms! As you can tell, the two bathroom thing is exciting to we bungalow dwellers with primitive one bathroom accommodations. :)

We had a great time and I'm busily doing laundry because tomorrow morning it's back to work for the weekend. I will post more pics next week but for now real life is demanding my attention. I don't mind, I kind of like it.

Image: Dean @ the Lexington Hotel in Lansing, MI

We'll see you good people in about a week, we are off for our anniversary vacation! We are spending the week road tripping across the beautiful Michigan Autumn heading west until we end up on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Mr. has made reservations from Lansing to Grand Rapids to Holland to St. Joseph and back again and we are going to spend every moment relaxing and enjoying one another. Have a wonderful week!

To God be the glory, great things he has done...

Images of Dean & me by Kelly Andrews Turpin

Pixel Pop Photography on Facebook
November 4, 2011, Henry Ford Fairlane Estate, Dearborn, MI

Because your compassions are before my eyes, I have walked in sweetness.

Psalm 26:3

Aramaic Bible in Plain English

1-10

1. This year I am working Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Lord, you are truly stretching me.
2. There are few things more lovely than a big old fashioned King James Bible.
3. On Sunday evening we are leaving for our Michigan road trip!
4. Bought a new black wool winter coat at Burlington Coat Factory. LOTS of coats to choose from but what a mess the place is! Made me a little nuts.
5. Did I mention I have a kind of new job? I have been moved from adult psychiatry (schizophrenia/violent adult patients) to pediatric psychiatry (4-17 year olds.)
6. My awesome work partner Natosha is now doing double duty managing 2 adult units (schizophrenia and depression/dementia.) Please pray for her, it's a lot to handle but she is more than able.
7. Daily stretching/yoga is really helping my body aches.
8. I haven't had pop in 9 days. Never really was an addiction so it isn't a big accomplishment however, I can really feel the benefit.
9. Speaking of headaches: I did sneak one chocolate cookie and did have a headache for almost two hours afterward. Apparently, chocolate is also a culprit.
10. 25th anniversary pictures done!