Summer’s End

I hate to see it coming.  But I know it is inevitable.

The days are shortening, the university students are back in town.(and my student is -packing up his junk to move back on campus)  I’ve gotten a bunch of projects accomplished around here in the last 2 months and we went on vacation for 10 days. 

I haven’t been blogging because I’ve just been to busy finding my life again.  The past 9 months have been really rough for our family.  It probably isn’t permanent but we’ve had almost a 2 month lull in the craziness.  I can’t tell you how thankful I am.

At the beginning of the summer I had the kids make sand bucket lists(not life lists just summer lists).  We needed some focus on what we were going to do with our time. It’s been good for all.  Here are the lists and what we’ve marked off.

Joshua

1.  Swim a lot with whole family

2.  Have a picnic(a real one instead of in front of a movie)

3. Have a sports afternoon

4. Have a lemonade stand at the garage sale

5. Game nights

6. Star Wars Quizzing

7. Catapulting Contest

8. Hide and Go seek in the dark night

Megan

1.  Go to the pool lots

2. Have play dates with friends

3.  Get things in their places in my room(recently moved around)

    

4. Watch Return of the King

5. Have lots of game nights and movie nights

6. Camping

7. Go to Silver Dollar City

Elizabeth

1. Go to Colorado Springs on vacation

2. Go to Silver Dollar City

3. Start a blog

4. Spend time with friends

5. Finish my skirt

6. Have a Lord of the Rings Marathon with Kendra

7. Begin driving

8. Go to the pool some

Michael

1. Swim a lot

2. Listen to thunderstorms—umm this may be the cause of the drought in the mid-west I guess

3. Play games with family

4. Go to Silver Dollar City

5. Have R family over for dinner or dessert

6. Go on a vacation

7. Random things with bro & sisters

I think I am ready for a list for the fall.  I am feeling super overwhelmed about getting back in to school and all our regular activities. It will be fine but I am needing that focus again.  And I want to try to knock off a couple more of theses things on the kids list.  It will be fun trying anyway!

A Day to Acclimate to High Altitude

Living in Missouri in the summer is HOT!  At home the temperatures are at least in the 90s and we’ve been seeing the 100s lately.  Makes for great days at the pool!

So to be in Colorado right now is quite the switch.  Today I wore jeans and a sweatshirt!  Not complaining it is just kind of odd!

Yesterday it rained off and on all day so we spent it getting used to the high altitude.  Some were headachy and all were tired.

We are pretty close to Hoosier Pass which is 11,500 feet altitude. 

But the view is AWESOME!(if not a bit cool)

Michael played games with his newest friend, Lancelot(don’t ask). 

This morning his cousin came for breakfast.

We were all well rested and ready for adventure after our day of down time!

Getaway Vacation

It has been a three years since we’ve packed up the kids & enough groceries & clothes for a week. 

Last time we went to Yellowstone & I was pre hip surgery so walking & sleeping on anything besides my bed was not a happy thing!

We saw some amazing country and had a lot of fun!  So as we planned to getaway this year we thought of going several places.  There are some who prefer warm beaches & salt water(ME!) and there are some who yearn for cool pine forests and mountain vistas(Steve)! 

Since Steve’s taken me to a beach for the last several years for his continuing education trip I didn’t fuss(much) when Colorado was the vote from every one!

One BIG difference this year is that Grandma & Grandpa Brush declined our invitation as they’ve had a very busy summer. 

    

They’ve gone with us on many of our trips and we always enjoy having them along for the trip.  The other difference is that we have Rebekah along for all the fun. 

So far we’ve seen some beautiful mountain vistas and amazing rocks that all the kids want to climb. 

 

 

After arriving at the house we rented, we had a desire to just chill out for a day.  It is a good house for that.  Lots of room & places to gather or hide out.

  

So games, naps, puzzles, reading & munching on popcorn are our goals for the day.  If we get motivated we might venture out and find the local grocery store or go for a hike.  But only maybe.

Removing Soap scum from Tile

Focus on My Home

Soap scum—hate the way it looks and  hate how difficult it is to clean off my beautiful tile we put up the big bathroom remodel a couple of years ago.

I’ve tried many cleaners & nothing really does a good job besides my scrub brush and some elbow grease.

I like how vinegar does works on smells in my washer and how it takes hard water deposits off faucets but it is hard to get vinegar to stay on the tile walls long enough to clean the scum off.  So when I saw this idea on Pinterest I was very excited!

The link doesn’t go to a website but here are the instructions to clean tile.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kim on Pinterest

 

“Hot Vinegar and Dawn Soap! 1 cup of HOT Vinegar (microwave 1-2 min) and 1 cup of blue DAWN liquid soap. Shake into bottle and creates a gel that will clean your showers."

Well I had to give it a try so here are my results.

I was so excited to start I forgot to get a before picture on the faucet but here is a during and after.

       

It did a good job getting deposits off the faucets but truly they weren’t really built up as I’ve tried to wipe them down with vinegar every so often.

Here is a good close up of the tile.  The grout is supposed to be dark brown but it is a chalky grey.

 

A bit messy to apply but the Dawn is thick enough to cling to the tile and give the vinegar time to work.

I had to let the grout dry after rinsing to get a good picture and there was blue goo left so I headed to the kids bathroom in the basement(which I haven’t cleaned in ages—kids are in charge—yikes!)

Here is the worst tile before--very gray & chalky    

After cleaning—back to the original dark gray(YES!)

 

Now back upstairs after a couple hours of dry time.

Better in places.

As you can see I got mixed results.  Near the faucet I deliberately didn’t apply the solution to the left side so I could see if there was a difference.  So this solution does a good job but you have to be careful with your application to hit all the spots or come back and hit the ones that were missed.

I liked how easy this was to mix up and apply but I will be more careful and particular in my application next time around.

Do we see gifts from Heaven?

To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. John 3:27

I have many gifts.  I don’t deserve many of them.

Husband, children, home, love, work, play, friends, small things, big things, everywhere I look I am blessed through the gifts in my life.

I know that God has placed each of these gifts in my life and it is to him I give thanks & find joy.

I don’t deserve that joy but it is there.

There are so many people who don’t see the gifts.  They are blinded to what they have right in front of them.  I am sad to know that they could have this same joy. 

Not happiness because happiness is momentary.

But joy?  Deep down joy that won’t leave?

It comes from knowing you are loved so much that no matter how undeserving I am God still loves me (you, everyone) so much that he gives us gifts from heaven.  Starting with life and ending with eternal salvation by believing in his son, Jesus.

I don’t want gifts from this earth.

I want them from heaven. 

I want to receive them every day. 

Even when storms roll through my life, even as my hands are clenched, even as I cry “Why?  God what is the purpose of this trial?”  I still see the gifts. 

But I have to open my hand to receive them and maybe just maybe by doing so I will help others to see what joy there is even as the storm rolls on by.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

From our home to yours

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

Where to find inexpensive fabric?

If you’ve cruised around my blog much at all you will see that I like to make rag rugs.  Using up something old to create a new thing of beauty makes me happy!

I haven’t done a TON of them because they take a while to make.

The other thing that keeps me from making a bunch of them is the cost.  Fabric is PRICEY!  Even when using coupons, fabric can cost an arm & leg.

Luckily rugs don’t require patterns, just color.

So I have a new habit that helps me make rugs with out breaking the bank.  Anytime I am out by the Good Will I stop in to peruse. . . . the sheets.  Lots of cotton fabric in colors for not much cash.

The above rug is in my girls room and it is made from a Good Will striped twin sheet set that had blue, turquoise, and lime green in it.  Since their room is lime green that worked for me!

Here is my latest rug.  The Vegetable Soup rug(named by Elizabeth)! I started it in November and have taken it many places. Hospital rooms, doctor visits, clogging practice, Bible quizzing trips and right here at home in my comfy chair on movie nights.

The black is a sheet on clearance at Target right after back to school time(thanks Lisa!)  I also plan to hit some garage sales this spring/summer.

I’m over half way now & I want to get this one done before it gets too warm outside.  Making rugs can be a WARM project which is good in the winter but not so good in the summer.  .  .  .  .  besides my crowded garden takes my free spring/summer time.

What project do you have going that are “just” for the winter time?

It’s all in your attitude

Today could be a  downer for me. Today I turn 40

(Prepare your self for lots of pictures—sorry!)

(18 years old)

(almost 19)

I’m not a teenager anymore(thank God!)

(24 years)

The 20s are a fond memory & the good old 30s are done………

(34 years)

Ever since I can remember when people ask my age they exclaim—NO way you aren’t that old.  I also get “there is NO way you have a kid that old.”  I like that I look younger than what my id says.

(37 years)

Today I am not going to be unhappy that I am 40.  I am choosing to be thankful for all the blessings that God has placed in my life. 

In fact I thought I would list some of those blessings.  These are in no particular order.

1. A husband who loves me and gives me more joy than I deserve.

2.  Adult son coming home “just because” he likes to hang out with his parents.

3.  My beautiful, loving children

4.  Flowers delivered unexpectedly!

5.  Parents who love me

6.  Connecting with my brother & sister recently

7.  Projects to keep my hands & mind busy

8.  Sunshine instead of rain—everyone knows how much I love the sun after days of winter gray.

9.  Being a stay-at-home mom

10.  Flowers blooming early this year!

11.  Forgiveness

12.  Daughters who cheer me on & laugh at my sillies

13.  Food in the frig, gas in the car, clothes on my back

14.  My iphone—seriously would go crazy with out it

15.  Dark curtains to keep the light out when I want to sleep in on my birthday(any day).

16.  Friends who forget I like to sleep in and text me at 7 am to wish me a happy 40th.

17.  Death by chocolate cake with peanut butter between the layers(aaaahhhh)

18.  Anticipation of a afternoon with my mom

19.  Sweet hugs from my youngest

20.  Grace

21.  A mother-in-law & father-in-law who have helped me to grow and treat me as one of their own.

22.  Friends who walk beside me, cry in sympathy, laugh for no reason, understand when there are no words left to say.

23.  Adventures

24.  My precious church family

25.  The Brush/Schweikert clan—we aren’t hillbillies really(if you don’t count some of them)

26.  Little girl giggles, big girl hugs

27.  Pepsi

28.  My hip—defective but functioning

29.  Comfortable place to lay my head at night

30.  Memories stuck down, decorated & sitting on a shelf for times when I need to remember.

31.  Lessons learned, paradigms shifted

32.  Abby’s companionship

33.  Peanut butter

34.  Plans for the future—gardens, vacations, trips

35.  21 years with my love

(39 years)

36.  Warm breezes of spring

37.  Energy to get up each day

38.  Little boy energy, big boy compassion

39.  Messes to clean, laundry to do, errands to run

40.  One more breath—means that I am still here with a purpose to live out as I make this journey

I love this saying from pinterest. 

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. 

Try making your list—I promise you won’t be sorry.