Are You Ready?

 We don't get an abundance of visitors.

We live outside of the "easy" drive for church friends.

Family gatherings are few and far between.

But I want to feel like my guest room and guest bathroom are ready if someone were to drop in.

This post will not apply to many readers because either

1) you have guests often

or 

2) all of your bathrooms and bedrooms are used regularly

But there may be a few folks who can benefit from this tip.

Keeping the guestroom ready just involves freshening the bedding once a quarter if it has not been used.

For the guest bath, I "rotate" the towels.

My home has a neutral grey tone throughout.

I have chosen to accent with sage and denim blue in all rooms.

So I have 3 sets of towels:

blue, sage, and a deeper sage.

Each Monday when I clean,

I take the towels from the master bath and throw them in the wash.

Then I take the towels from the guest bath (if I have had no company) and put them in the master bath.

Then I take the third set of clean towels and put them in the guest bath.

So weekly, I have freshened the towels for guests.

When I first began homemaking, I would not have been able to do this - 

I had themed bathrooms.

They were so fun and I enjoyed them immensely.

Who doesn't like little fish or rubber duckies?

But I do like the simplicity of being able to use any towel in any bathroom

and even being able to hang them in any bedroom because the colors all coordinate.

Today was one of those longer project days.

Hubby was not going to be home for lunch,

so I could make a mess.

One of my jobs was to clean the "rust" off the lights in the bathroom.

We couldn't believe that there were rust stains already, but ...

...I found this little product and it worked great.

Another job was to get rid of Valentine's and Winter's decor in favor of the Spring decorations.

What Does Your Floor Say About Your Diet?

 As I clean on Monday and throughout the week,

I can't help but marvel at how quickly the kitchen floor gets dirty.

It seems that it is always in need of a good sweep.

On Monday, while on my hands and knees,

I looked closely.

My floor says a lot about what we have been eating.

This little snapshot shows a piece of kale, a red onion paper, and a pepper seed.

Often there might also be rice, quinoa, or a stray pistachio or cashew.

The job seems endless,

but as I tidy the floor AGAIN,

I am thankful for the good food that God provides and the energy and strength it gives.

Spring, Spring, Spring

.

On this particularly grey day,

the cherry blossoms are extra bright and cheery - they almost seemed to glow this morning (at least in real life).

They are the first show of Spring on our property.

It is still a "baby" tree, but this little snatch of Spring is encouraging.

We actually killed a lethargic wasp yesterday probably a queen coming out of hibernation,

I put out 2 hummingbird feeders and a hummingbird swing yesterday,

the robins have been hopping across the lawn,

and I am trying to decide when to break out the mower.

The weather yesterday was just about perfect and we enjoyed a return to a "pleasant" run for our exercise.

Of course, we still have a few more cold snaps,

but we can be thankful for the life that is showing.

We Didn't Forget to Celebrate

 As all faithful readers know,

Saturday was "Donut Day" here.

22 years ago, hubby and I shared our first date at an Italian bakery in Latham, NY.

Since then, we have celebrated each anniversary in February with a donut or two.

Sometimes, I wish that first date had been a bit healthier ... but we have made adjustments as necessary.

Donuts from the freezer section

homemade donuts

Benny's Donuts - Corvallis, OR

Groovy Gus Mini Donuts - Bowling Green, KY

Hubby was actually working out of town on Friday and Saturday.

It seems that the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisvills has slated "Donut Day" each year as one of their show dates (I guess they are not faithful readers).

I did join him at the show on Saturday afternoon with a lunch salad in hand.

He wrapped up his responsibilities around 6 pm and we headed for home.

We arrived home around 8 pm ready to clean up and relax.

Not to miss the celebration,

I prepared the "Donuts."

Due to the lateness of the evening

and some health needs,

the donuts got REALLY healthy this year.

This year, they were apple ring donuts drizzled with almond butter.

Hubby's had a drizzle of chocolate syrup too.

A couple of the "donuts" even had some unsweetened coconut flake sprinkles!

There is always a way to remember the special events.

Life may get busy.

Diets may change.

Don't forget to celebrate the ones you love!

Because I Needed Some "Sunshine"

 As I said last week,

I love Valentine's Day,

but I do recognize that prices are inflated for such a flower and candy-centered holiday.

Hubby often just gets me a helium balloon.

I am as cheered by a balloon as Eeyore (which is surprisingly cheery).

And sometimes a live plant joins the offering.

And thus we avoid some of the gouging.

While I shopped on Friday,

the highly inflated prices were highly deflated.

Since hubby was out of town for 2 days,

I bought myself some $4 sunshine.

(Don't worry, he approved)

And for a few days,

the decor in my bathroom is elevated with some yellow roses!

Every Good Gift ...

 Jeremiah 10:6
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; 

thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

It is a week of rejoicing here.

As of Monday, we officially own our home.

Whether we lived in apartments our whole life,

whether we moved from trailer to trailer,

whether we own a home or not,

God is always good and always great.

Yet, this week, we are in awe at His blessing to us.

We know all things are possible,

and yet so often we still limit God.

As we would roam around our neighborhood in Oregon,

we would dream of a home like this.

It seemed like just that - a dream.

But God gave, and gave, and gave.

And what else ...

At the church Christmas program, the church organ broke.

It began playing one note all on its own and would not stop until it was turned off.

It was not particularly useful anymore.

We had been searching for months anyway knowing this organ was not really suitable for the space we had and was probably on its way out.

Last week, God blessed the church with a "new-to-us" organ.

The church that sold it sold it for less than 1/2 of what it was truly worth.

Not only that - the church that sold it was not more than 30 minutes away!

In Defense of a Day

 It's been another while,

Another season, I guess when life demanded more from me and did not allow for writing.

But, it seems for a time, that things are quiet and I am feeling a little more on top of things.

Of course, I am looking ahead to spring.

Each day, I look out looking for signs of growth,

looking for the greening of the grass.

There is a sign of life on all of the trees - cherry, serviceberry, and apples!

Last week, I even made a preemptive strike on any crabgrass that is thinking of joining my lawn.

But, back to the theme at hand.

Today is Valentine's Day.

I have always enjoyed it.

As I child, I enjoyed the school parties and treats.

As a teacher, I definitely enjoyed planning a Valentine's Day party for my students.

And ever since 2002, I have enjoyed a Valentine of my own.

I met hubby on February 10, 2002.

We talked for longer than a hello on Valentine's Eve (he quite disturbed the prelude at church).

And of course, any long-time reader knows that "Donut Day" is just around the corner (the anniversary of our first date - 2/17.)

I often hear that today is a pagan holiday.

I hear that it is a ripoff.

I hear it is a gimmick.

I hear much about the hype.

While it may be all these things,

it is also a day to express love.

Who doesn't want to know that they are loved and remembered?

It doesn't cost anything to say "I love you!"

It doesn't cost much to jot a note of appreciation.

We celebrate big in our home.

We decorate the house.

We send out Valentines to little people who are mostly taller than me now.

We don't always have big gifts or fancy dinners - 

but we honor the day and the love that God has shown us that we can in turn show to others.

Last week, hubby bought me a plant and a traditional helium balloon.

Yesterday, he invited me to lunch at the place of my choosing.

Today he took me to my new favorite restaurant in Bowling Green.

He took me a few weeks back for a Saturday breakfast.

The place is called "Cafe Kindness."

All of the smoothies are named after the fruit of the spirit.

We enjoyed healthy smoothies only sweetened by dates and/or bananas.

Today we enjoyed chicken salad toasts and "it's Greek to me" toasts.

And then we shared a Smoothie!

So while there may be some downfalls to the day.

The day may have a sordid history.

I think there is something sweet to sharing a special day now and again

and letting others know that you care for them.