Wear What You Have...Week 2

Sunday, Jan.9

Well, I have no picture because I played hooky today and stayed home in my "lounge wear". Shhhh....

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Monday, Jan.10

Black turtle neck, maroon tweed vest, green velour pants (everything J Jill)

The Verdict - Yep, I've already worn this before. I like it, even though the pants are a little short.

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Tuesday, Jan. 11

Black waffle shirt with white trim, light blue Levis

The Verdict - this is a good "stand-by" shirt. I'm not crazy about it, but it doesn't bother me. It's one I wear when I'm behind in the laundry :-) I love these jeans. They're loose in the seat, which has a tendency to make my hips look a little bigger than necessary, but I don't care. They are so comfortable...I love them.

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Wednesday, Jan. 12

Super soft pink sweater (J Jill), Levi jeans

The Verdict - Yes, I wore the same jeans 2 days in a row...so sue me! I like this sweater but I wish it was just a little longer. I find myself making pulling it down often... but I still like it. It's super fuzzy and warm on a cold day.

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Thursday, Jan. 13

Purply blue sweater (J Jill), white tank, Authentic Fit Jeans (J Jill)
The Verdict - I like this sweater because it's really comfortable and hangs over my backside. These jeans are a little tighter around the hips than I'm comfortable with, but I like the boot cut and the length, so this sweater is perfect with these jeans.

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Friday, Jan. 14

Blue striped top, white tank, Lee Riders Jeans

The Verdict - I really like this top. It's actually sort of thin, so I wouldn't wear it when it's really cold, but it's really comfortable and I like the fit. I've had these jeans forever... I like them.

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Saturday, Jan. 15

Black tuxedo shirt (Walmart), gray Authentic Fit Jeans (J Jill)

The Verdict - simple but I like it. I finally got a belt that fits and it helps keep these jeans from falling down.

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Sunday, Jan. 16

Black turtleneck, black tweed vest, black/white hounds tooth skirt, black boots and tights.

The Verdict - This is the first time I've worn this skirt. I had originally figured on wearing just the turtleneck, but I felt like the skirt made my hips look big. So, I added the vest to give me a waist. I felt comfortable, but wasn't really crazy about the look.

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That's it for last week. I think I threw out about 10 clothing catalogs this past week, and they still keep coming.

I've also included a picture of one of my favorite articles of clothing...my socks. I love a good pair of socks. I had purchased some good socks a few years ago, but they're beginning to wear out. So, I came across these and I loved them. So, I got a few pairs in Dec. Everyone needs a pair of red socks...don't you think?

Wear What You Have

Well, we've hit the ground running in 2011. We enjoyed such a lovely vacation. Oh the joy of waking up with no real plans, only to spend the day with each other. Perhaps a little outing here and there...playing with Christmas toys and finishing projects that were put on the waiting list during the Fall. Have I mentioned that I love vacation... Not to be confused with a vacation. Going somewhere to visit/tour/sight see is a ton of fun. But I love the other vacations... summer vacation, Christmas vacation, Spring Break vacation, even Thanksgiving vacation. The go nowhere vacation. Love them!
Here's what I got for Christmas. It's a little 6'x9' spot o' sunshine!

For the week after Christmas I got to do a little planting. I've since been up to my elbows in seed catalogs and gardening books. I really want to try to do year-round gardening, so my Handy Man got me this to help me out. And, he got it on sale with free shipping! Even better.

We lost one of our chickens a few weeks ago and replaced her with a new Aracauna. The new one is called Muffin and she's so sweet. She gave us her very first egg this week. I'd forgotten how small their first eggs are. We all just oo-ed and ah-ed over her first delivery. She can stay now.

Also, after quite a bit of purging last month (I made 3 trips to the Salvation Army), I've been a little convicted about how many clothes I have. So, I'm going to be trying a new project this year... It's called Wear What I Have. Honestly, it's embarrassing all the clothes I have when I consider the poor. So, I'm going to keep track of what I wear and get rid of anything that doesn't go on my body this year. Don't worry...I will buy new underwear and socks as needed :-) but that's it...I hope.

Jan. 1 - Black tuxedo shirt (Walmart), brown boucle sweater vest (J Jill), cozy knit pants (J Jill)

The Verdict - Love this. Very comfortable and I like the way it makes me feel. Casual but not dressing down. I suspect you'll be seeing me wear these a lot this year.

Jan 2 - Black skirt, long sweater, black boots, tights.

The verdict - I wore this to church and I liked it. I don't wear this sweater too often, but I like the way it looks and feels. I'll keep this.

Jan. 3 - J Jill Arctic sweater, J Jill True Fit jeans

The verdict - I've had this sweater for over 4 years. It's gotten too stretched out over the years and I just don't like the way it feels anymore. Notice that I had to roll up the sleeves... The sweater is going into the "give away" pile. The jeans stay.

Jan. 4 - Cozy knit pants (J Jill), black tuxedo shirt, heather gray knit jacket (J Jill)

The verdict - I really like this. I got the jacket so I could layer without having to do a sweatshirt. I like things that hang down a little over the "back side". I feel good in this and can remove the jacket if I need to. This all will stay.

Jan. 5 - Black turtleneck, brown vest, green velour pants (all from J Jill).

The verdict. I like this too... The pants are almost too short, but their are so super comfortable that I just ignore it.

Jan. 6 - Cozy knit pants, gray striped shirt (J Jill)

The verdict - This is really comfortable too. The shirt is a little tighter around my behind than I'm used too, but not enough to make me get rid of it. And, I like the way it looks with the pants.


Jan. 7 - New blue button down shirt, blue boyfriend pants (all from J Jill)

The verdict - I love this. I like that the shirt has a little bit of shaping and is super comfortable. The pants are a little thin for the winter time, but I just love them. I feel casual and put together, but very comfortable.

Jan. 8 - Purple heater sweater, gray straight let jeans (all from J Jill). The red house shoes are from Land's End.

The verdict - This is a sweater that I really liked until I washed it. It's just a little tighter around the behind than I like. I suspect it will be "eliminated" sometime this year. I really like the gray jeans for the color, but the cut is not good. These ride really low on the waist. When I first put them on, the stay put just fine, but as the day goes on, I'm constantly having to pull them up. Because they ride low, I don't have a belt that fits around my hips! Right now they will stay in the game because I like the color and the look of them, but I probably need to find a belt for them that fits or I'll probably start avoiding them.

There you have it. The first week of Jan. Can you guess what my favorite clothing store is?

I'm Better Now

Well, after reading my last post again, I should gave given more time to the fact that, even though I'm a blubbering mess...I have the best kids in the world (thank you Lord!). Zack has become such a wonderful young man. I think another part of the reason I'm so emotional about him is that I'm so eternally grateful that he's turned out so well. So many friends have experienced the heartache of children walking away from their faith. There comes a time when our child must make his faith his own... he can't continue to "ride" his parents' belief. They must choose for themselves. It is the epitome of letting go for mom and dad...we can't force them to believe. We can only hope to walk through the uncertainty with them. My heart is full of thankfulness that Zack is walking with the Lord. I wish I could bottle some magic potion that would guarantee he never walks away... So, sometimes I'm overcome with a heart of thankfulness that he is such a good boy, and acknowledging that only God could have accomplished this. Of course, I wonder if he'll be able to keep his room clean when he goes to college, because he sure doesn't keep it clean here.
Thanks friends for your sweet comments and encouragements. I'm sure that once I get through with this one, I'll be an expert and won't have any problems with the other four. Right....? Right? :-)

Here we go...

Can it really have been that long since I've written. The last post was lamenting the end of summer. Now, Christmas is just 3 days away. I'm sitting in my cozy living room with a toasty fire in the fireplace, the lights shining on the Christmas tree, and the family is asleep...all but me. My head tells me that I really don't have anything new to say, and who would really want to read about me anyway? But, I know that there are just a couple of you that might like to know what my heart is feeling. And, these recent feelings are new for me.
I'm a relatively down to earth, get 'r done kind of gal. I don't really like to get all mushy or cry much. I'm pretty analytical about things and tend to see a problem and will look at it from all angles and then make a decision. However, I've become a blubbering idiot over these last several months. I have been second guessing my decisions and completely unsure about things. I must say that I don't like feeling this way. The root of all this anxiety? My son. My 18 year-old son. Do you understand what I'm saying? I HAVE AN 18 YEAR-OLD SON! How is this possible. Even as I write that, my throat is stinging a little. What is wrong with me?!
This child of mine is now old enough to vote, has been driving for almost 2 years, and Lord help me...he has a girlfriend. He's applied to, and been accepted, at several colleges. It's coming people. Now my nose is starting to sting a little. This child has become an older young man. I can't bring myself to say he's an adult man yet. He is still in high school, still lives under our roof, still asks if he can borrow the car, still has chores and gets and "allowance". He has a curfew, has a limited amount of computer time, and I've even found him, from time to time, sitting at the Lego table putting something together. These remnants of youth keep me from feeling like I've completely lost him to "adulthood". He's so sweet and has never really caused us a moment of trouble...you know what I'm talking about. He has had his moments here and there, but really, no Trouble with a capital T. Even with all that is happening to him, there are deeper feelings I have that cause me grief. The cause of my emotional meltdown is because the sweet mother/son relationship has changed. (Throat and eyes tingling now...) He's still so sweet to me and very loving, but something's different. He is much more introspective...not a lot of sharing. He answers my questions, but there's no real deep conversation... He's making his own decisions about when/if to study. He spoke to us about having a girlfriend, got counsel from a few others, and then made a decision. He's 18. It's not like we can stop him. Roger says that this is a good thing, and in my head I know he's right. Roger tells me that Zack's beginning the early stages of "leaving and cleaving". And, he says that Zack will continue to need to feel like he's becoming independent of us (me?) and that eventually, he will realize the blessing of our relationship and will come back to the deeper parts of it. Really? Why do I feel such loss? I feel like there's some strange unwritten rule that says I need to keep my mouth shut. if I offer guidance, counsel, or even an opinion that it's viewed as a mother that's trying to be controlling...who won't let her son grow up. The tears are flowing now. It's emotionally exhausting. I feel such extremes. I'm so very proud of him and thankful to God for helping Zack to be such a fine young man. But I miss him. I miss that little boy that needed me. I miss knowing what he's thinking. If this is the way God intended for boys to become men, why is it so hard for me? I have several friends that have been through this and they assure me it's completely normal. But good heavens! I have 3 more boys coming up right behind Zack. Does it get any easier? And what about his future wife. What if she doesn't like me? It makes me wish that I'd encouraged Roger to call his mother every once in a while...just to tell her about his day.
In my effort to be analytical about all this, I remind myself that the first one is always the hardest in respect to the unknown. If I can get through this, the others will probably be a piece of cake. Of course, we can't forget about Katie. She deserves her own blog post.

Summer...

The summer is flying by. I mean it! It's really flying by! One month until school starts and the glorious freedom of summer turns into the daily responsibility of school and all that goes along with that. Actually, fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, the harvest, the football games, and even the excitement of a "new year". But, I really love summer vacation. Not so much the heat of it, but the freedom it brings... What will we do today? Where will we go today? So many options...or, just doing nothing.

We've enjoyed our summer thus far and are trying to savour each day we have left. We did an 8-day vacation to Florida in early June. It was a fabulous trip until we reached Birmingham, AL on our way home. Our van broke down...actually, our van died! It wasn't going to move another inch. We ended up renting a van to get us home and then had to buy a new car a week later. Bummer... We're thankful we were never in danger, and that we were able to find a used vehicle that we could afford.

My sister-in-law and our 11 year-old nephew came to AR from New Jersey for a short visit. We showed him the small town life and made a day trip to Branson. He had a great time and lamented that he didn't want to leave. He didn't know how fun AR with his cousins could be.

Now, our big boys are at New Life Ranch participating in their leadership training program. The day they left for camp, our 3 little ones went to spend 4 glorious days at Aunt Gayle's. I am so thankful for an aunt that welcomes and loves my kids. They adore her and Uncle Jimmy and think their house is one of the best places in the world to be.

The littles came home on Thursday afternoon, right after I had oral surgery to remove 3 wisdom teeth. I had contemplated having the teeth out early in the week while the kids were all away, but decided against it. This was the first time in almost 18 years I had been this home alone...4 whole days! I figured I'd like to enjoy those days, not spend them with puffy cheeks in a drug induced stupor.

So, that's what's going on around here. The big boys have another week of camp, but they get to call home today! And, I've been doing a lot of knitting... I love summer!

Here are some fingerless gloves... Thank you to my lovely model, Katie.

This is a hat that converts to a neck warmer. The bow around the top can be untied and pulled down over the face and then scrunched up again to keep your neck toasty. Again, thank you Katie.

No need to explain these... adorable.

I'm particularly happy with these slippers. I was a little nervous about them fitting, but they turned out great!

This is a scarf I made in early summer... It's a lovely brown and has red beads throughout.

Here are a few things that Zane has completed this summer.

Finally, this picture should make everyone feel really good about themselves...

Today's Harvest

This morning, the sky looked like it was seriously going to burst and we mere mortals would need to roll our pants up because of the flood waters... Ok, maybe not that bad. But it didn't look good. As the thunder got closer I got myself outside and did a little garden gathering before everything got wet. Here's what I got...

I harvested a big bowl full of lettuce and spinach. Do you see those strawberries? Yep, they're ours. We're conducting a "strawberry experiment" this year. I'll tell you more about that later...but it seems to be working. Finally, the eggs are from our girls. I hard boiled them, so one of them looks white...but it's not...it's brown... but white on the inside... You get the picture.

Here's what I did will all of it.

Strawberry spinach salad. I'd share it with you, but it's all gone.

Look What I Made!