A Day Late, But Right On Time

On this Friday edition of "Thankful Thursday,"

I am thankful for the faithfulness that my parents have modeled before us.

Today they celebrate 50 years of marriage.

50 years,

5 states,

8 9 houses,

4 kids,

3 dogs ...

(I think I have the numbers right, but check comments below for corrections from the family)

Oh such memories.

In a day when marriages are disposable,

I am so glad that my parents have chosen to stick-to-it.

I'm sure there were seasons of difficulty when throwing it away might have seemed easier,

but they didn't.

They continue to model,

they continue to be an example to look up to,

they continue to press on.

Thanks dad and mom!

Friday Forum: Odor Removal

Every home has a unique smell ...

some good, some bad, some just different.

Our rental home had some unique and some bad smells when we moved in.

I think many of them have been eradicated,

but we have also had the blessing of basically having open windows since we moved in.

We have cleaned, we have painted, we have cleaned the garbage disposal,

but I fear that when we have to close up we will notice the smell again.

Do you have any tried and true methods of odor removal in "new to you" homes?

Meet and Greet

This week, I am working on treats to give to our new neighbors in order to introduce ourselves.

We had 3 ideas.

One is popcorn with a tag that says

"Just poppin' in to say ... 'You have new neighbors!'"

Another was "Soda"lighted to have you for neighbors
obviously attached to some sort of soda.

The other is a small bag of candy, a tract, and an offer to help in any way that we can with a tag that says,

Hello!

We are your new neighbors!

Our address

Our names

Our phone

Our email

The Pacific North West is not known for its friendliness

(kind of the polar opposite of our southern experience),

but we sure do want to meet our neighbors

and have an opportunity to share our faith with them.

So about 1/2 of the 24 are complete.

The Rest of the Downstairs

You have seen the living room, dining room, and kitchen ...

but what about the rest of the downstairs.

Here is the half bath ...

freshly repainted.

Not quite the art I really want (because of size),
but I am trying to use what we have.

And here is the garage,

another first in our home rental and ownership.

the front has laundry,

one side has storage,

[You may notice 2 bicycles-

gifts from hubby's sister and brother-in-law as we passed through.

You may also notice the new mower - 

a battery powered toy which I am greatly enjoying.]

and the other side has the workout space

(this is the big perk).

And then the "compound"-

the reason I needed a mower.

It takes about 15 minutes to mow😃

While the "compound" wall is ugly,

it is privacy from a very major street.

It's Greek To Me and Christmas in July

While looking through a home magazine,

we saw a recipe for Greek pizza and decided it was worth a try.

No recipe is really needed - just the idea.

So we made it on Saturday.

A basic gluten-free crust for us.

Then the crust was rubbed with olive oil and herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme.

No red sauce.

Cheeses were light mozzarella (or Daiya for me) and feta.

And then lots of veggies - onions, peppers, tomatoes, and olives!

It was REALLY good!

And then today,

I decided to make a bit of Christmas in July.

Just made them round because I was in the mood for fast!

The oven has gingerbread cookies in it right now.

all ready for the oven

If interested,

check out the recipe here.

The recipe uses almond flour and natural sugar (maple syrup)

so hubby uses them as a morning snack.

Friday Forum: I Just Think Differently?

A move out of state requires an extensive church search usually.

Our situation was no different.

We have not tried the 3 closest places of worship.

We can see the Mormon building from our window,

across the street from them is the Seventh Day Adventist building,

and just 2-3 properties down is the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall.

But we have tried 5 churches in the area and are deciding on 2 of them.

When we began the search,

I told hubby that I would be wearing the same outfit every Sunday while we attended different churches.

Of course, he wondered, "Why?"

Do you know why?

I figured if I wore the same outfit each week,

then when we revisited a church, I would not have to remember what I had worn😄

Is it just me?

Is it a difference between men and women?

Would you do the same?

A No Brainer

On this Thankful Thursday,

it is not hard to choose something to be thankful.

I am thankful for America.

I am thankful for the freedoms that we still enjoy.

I am thankful that the founders could foresee many potential problems

and would seek to circumvent future difficulties.

I am thankful for the vast land and the variety of people in it.

I am thankful for the opportunity that I have had to spend time in many different parts of it.

I am thankful that there are still men and women who are sacrificing to maintain that freedom.

I am thankful for the families at home who are sacrificing time with their family

to help sustain the freedoms that I enjoy.

I am also thankful for the freedom that a relationship with Christ provides.

This nation is becoming a darker and darker place.

So many people are in bondage to sin,

in bondage to themselves,

in bondage.

Many even wear the chains on the outside

that match those on the inside.

I am glad that Christ has set me free from the power of sin.

No, I am not perfect,

but if I rely on His power,

I do not have to yield to the bondage of that sin.

I am thankful for extra time to spend with family today.

On that note,

the day began with a workout:

30 minutes of kickboxing and tabata, then 20 minutes of stretching.

Then a nice leisurely time of Bible study in the back yard without time restrictions of rushing to work.

A pleasant picnic-y lunch.

And then, a walk around our new town.

A walk of some 6 miles.

Don't worry, it was not without rewards.

At about mile 5,

a non-dairy "milk" shake.

Not just that, but fresh raspberry!

Wow!

It's A ....

...BOY!

Now that I have your attention.

Admit it ... I made you look.

We went to Petco today.

You see, our Betta, Romeo, was not going to be up to the cross country trip

and had to be left behind.

Today was the day to get a new Betta.

We arrived at Petco where we found that they sold Baby Bettas.

Not only are all Babies cute ...

but in this case, they are cheaper too.

So we got a Baby Betta and we will watch him grow.

When the Tables are Turned

What Fun!

We received Happy Mail today.

I have organized many packages to folks far from home,

but this time, we were on the receiving end.

Happy Mail / Housewarming fun from our church in NC.

Thank you to ALL involved ... and the proper written thanks will be on the way.

There were gluten-free treats,

cleaning products,

notes of love and encouragement,

gift cards,

a WOODWICK CANDLE (in my favorite apple scent),

and wall art (which is much appreciated since we have a lot of walls in the new place).

The encouragement is much appreciated!

The Heart of the Home

I actually feel like I am getting some heart back.

It seems like months (and maybe it has been) since I have REALLY done my job.

You know, the homemaker job.

I have been busy,

but it has been in packing, cleaning, cleaning, unpacking, painting.

Yesterday, I finally got some "fun" baking done.

I made hubby an apple pie on a cool rainy day.

There have also been pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins this week.

I feel like I am getting back to myself.

There are still some "settling" jobs left,

but they are dwindling and that feels good.

And now our tour continues ...

the dining room and kitchen.

The space is much larger and has more storage than any place we have lived.

I do miss being part of the "action" while I am in the kitchen and others are in the living room,

There are always trade-offs.

I think this is the first actual dining room that we have had.

It has always been a corner of the living room or a corner of the kitchen.

This one is a dedicated space.

The short door in the corner is additional storage

currently holding vacuum, tray tables, and folding chairs.

The "odd" seat at the end of the table is also my file cabinet.

view from living room

View from stairs into the kitchen.

A little spoiled with all of the cabinets and a large window!

All the food fits in the pantry to the left of the fridge.