little things

Here's the promised post on the little things - the often overlooked, but truly important things that make life beautiful!

1. Watching the gently falling snow from the warmth of our church sanctuary, during...
2. ...yet another meaningful and memorable sermon and time of worship with friends. We are truly blessed to be a part of this church.
3. A cozy Oscar-cat on my lap (what little is left of my lap)
4. Morning walks in the brisk weather with my friend, Kelly, and her little boy
5. Safety on our trips to and from my parents' house for Thanksgiving
6. The blessing of a family that really does get along well most of the time
7. Hearing my husband pray with thankfulness for our family, and with joy for our soon-to-come son. Such a treasure to be his wife and the mother of his child!
8. Having more than enough to eat, a warm house to sleep in, and all our basic needs met, once again
9. Being completely done with Christmas shopping and wrapping, except for this one last gift for my sister
10. Finding out that our baby will have yet another cousin...due in July! That makes two cousins on one side, and another cousin on the other side. Exciting!

Three sisters-in-law and mommas-to-be!

God has been so good to us, even through our difficulty financially. We have so much in each other, in our family, and in our friends. Truly blessed!

kittens

Kittens are some of the cutest things in the world! Clara belongs to our friends, Doug and Jennifer. She's a pretty cat, and sweet. Her five kittens are adorable:





The orange one is too cute - wanting to snuggle with his siblings, and cuddling with mama Clara.

Exploring their very big world with their little whiskers and tiny paws...and back legs that don't quite work yet!

early spring, please?

'twas the week before Valentines'
and all through the apartment,
Linnea was cleaning -it's her job department.
The cobwebs which hung on the ceiling with(out) care
Were all brushed away - not a speck, none left there.

The Christmas decorations were all put away,
Even the pinecones that glittered so gay.
And all the red candles, each ornament bright,
Had been tucked away for next Advent's sight.

When all of a sudden, there rose such a clatter -
What had Norah done? What was the matter?
To the china cabinet I ran so very fast
And saw the door open... naughty little cat!

The sun on the opened cabinet beamed
Revealing pink things that shimmered and gleamed
Light floral candles, ribbons and white
Small candy hearts - green and purple, and tealights!

The newly cleaned house just begged to be given
A new color scheme and an abundance of ribbon.
So out with the red, the green, and the gold
In two short months, that scene has grown old.

In with pastels! With pinks! With blues!
In with the Valentine's candy hearts too.
In with the florals, the romance, the birds,
The cards, the chocolate, the cheesy sweet words.

I'll invite all my friends, at least just the girls;
We'll make V-day cards and wear pink and our pearls.
With a flourish of pens and paper and glue,
We'll wish a quite happy Valentine's Day to you.

I love when...

...It's a rainy day and I have a cup of tea

My Oscar-Cat is snuggled in his fuzzy cat bed under my desk

Brad and I go on a mini road trip with no agenda whatsoever

The color pink is on sale

Chocolate chip cookies are just barely underbaked

My pictures turn out perfectly

Down comforters are cool and puffy when I crawl underneath

A song comes to mind that perfectly suits the need I have

My mom calls for no reason

I open mail from friends and family

My husband brings me wildflowers

The perfect seashell comes home unbroken

My white cotton curtains pool on the floor after blowing in the breeze

a new member of our household

Introducing: Oscar the Cat.

he's a five-pound ball of soft tabby fur, cuddly as can be, and hardly ever stops purring. my husband surprised me with him just a couple weeks ago! it has been fun to have "someone" at home with me while Brad is off at school and work all day.


it has been a long summer without having a job on the horizon. admittedly, i did have five good interviews, the most recent being last friday. however, none of them have turned out to be a job for me. it's disappointing, not to mention trying. i know many many people in our country have been jobless for much longer than me. i feel your pain. it's hard to admit that i'm on unemployment, that i'm going to try to get food stamps. it's hard to realize that this week, there's only $XXX in your bank account, and that rent is due next week. it's not enough.

nevertheless, i know that God will continue to provide for us. my husband has a part-time job in addition to his grad studies. that's pulling some in for us. i have a possibility of being the part-time worship music coordinator for our church, and that would be helpful, too.

we will see.

and on a completely different note, i made a glove. it's a fair first-attempt, i think. check it out! i used self-striping sock yarn...a fun choice, i think! the "trim" at the wrist is a k2tog, yo repetition.