The Dazzling Dining Room

I probably wouldn't have designed our house with a dining room, and yet our dining room table has become the place for many a fun project and time of fellowship. 

It's also become the home for many, many, many books.

There are two other bookshelves not show here and while I dream of built-in floor to ceiling bookcases, that really wasn't much of a possibility.  

See what I mean about lots of books?

I cleared it all out and there was LOTS and LOTS of chaos as a result.  

And this is just a smidge of the chaos.

We covered that dinged-up, dented, scuffed up flat white paint with my new favorite, Revere Pewter.  

It was an instant transformation.

After emptying that hutch of my china, I moved it myself... by sitting with my back against it and scooching it slowly into place.  I didn't want to wait til the Rugged Mountain Man got home.  I'm just like my mama.

I took my old tired Walmart bookcases, straight out of 1999, painted them white and re-backed them with beadboard.  I also bought one more bargain shelf and painted and re-backed that one too.

But, I also wanted more book space.

The Rugged Mountain Man and I built this cubby unit with MDF.  

I calculated the load it can handle and let's just say, we don't have to be worried about sagging.

We consolidated 6 mismatched bookshelves into four!

Now the "built-in" unit is bracketed to the wall for safety.  Not that we have a mountain goat living here or anything.

I could barely contain my excitement when putting the books back into place.  I was also very motivated to get our house back to some state of normalcy.  However, I sorted the books and gave away duplicates.  The reading levels go from bottom to top, easiest to most difficult.  They are classified into genres.  

Ironically, it was the Blossoms who were most excited about this.  They loved that I found all their cookbooks and craft books and made an activity section.  

"Now we can find our cookbooks easily!!"

We're loving how this room now truly functions as a library and dining room.

I'm definitely the ideas person in our marriage and I don't like to be told reasons why my ideas won't work and can't be done.  The Rugged Mountain Man is deeply rooted in logic and reality.  Nevertheless, I hatched the built-in look alike idea and we collaborated in the carrying out of this idea.  He brought in thoughts on what kind of wood to use and how best to construct it, as well as budget constraints.  We worked closely on the budget and actual construction.  It was good for him to see that my ideas are cool and really look awesome in our house.  It was good for me to see that his tips help make our project better, stronger and more durable.  What a great marriage win for us!

Dominique

Changes at Home Sweet Home

We've lived at our home in the Hollow for fifteen years now, with nary a cosmetic change.  Perhaps you remember when I moved that tall pantry cabinet or painted the island red.  Nothing major has changed, despite the fact that I prefer blues to greens and I'd NEVER chose viney, distracting wallpaper for the room I spend virtually my entire life in.

Other than those minor projects I tackled on my own, any changes to home sweet home have been limited to what needed to be done, like a new roof a few years ago after a wretched winter wind storm.

When the Rugged Mountain Man asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day, I was ready for him.  "I want to paint the kitchen," I grinned and blurted out hopefully.   

What I wanted though was the permission and the budget to change it... not for HIM to do it.  

Ladies, sometimes we are just far too anxious to have our husbands do projects, but we're not very willing to have some skin in the game.  

With his blessing, the kitchen project began.  

Down came my little decorative attempts from eons ago to make the kitchen more like me.  

(A little fruity?)

Down came those little strips that are commonly found in a modular/manufactured home.  

(See left hand corner in previous pic.)

I dry-walled all those seams with pointers from my husband.  The corners though were boogers.  There were tears, even though I was determined NOT to cry.  I WANTED IT TO BE SMOOTH.  After more help from the Rugged Mountain Man, we conquered.  

We had to prime with a really good primer to stick to the vinyl walls.  I researched specifically how to paint over those walls so that my time would not be wasted.

I did lots of Pinterest research to choose this color because I didn't want to make a bad color choice!  I wanted to highlight the oak-colored trim that isn't going anywhere any time soon.  I wanted our current floors to look good and I wanted our house to look nice now, even though four very active girlies live here.  I really, really, REALLY wanted something soothing and something the Rugged Mountain Man would love.  

After much research, I chose the ever popular Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.  I haven't regretted this "greige" color AT ALL.  It's popular for a reason.

The house was chaotic as we worked, which is why we tackled one room at a time.  

We finished the kitchen and I dismantled and then painted the living room.  

I believe the Rugged Mountain Man's words were something like, "This.looks.FABULOUS."

And because everyone expects perfect "after" photos, it should be noted that in the previous three snap shots, there are bunnies running around on the floor and cries of "he pooped!"  Blossom1 is grooming rabbits on the kitchen island.  The stools were being used as showmanship stands.  There are wet hoodies hanging everywhere because of the torrential downpour during choring this morning.  Jake seems to be relishing a typical day here.  

Dominique

PS - Take a peek at the before and after pics again and 

you'll see some of the progress in the dining room/library.

One Strategy

For the past year and half or two, we've had a strategy for the Little Blossoms.  The Rugged Mountain Man and I call it "isolate and work."  We noticed that the younger sisters consistently stand around the perimeter and wait for the work to get finished, giving only the appearance of actually working. 

We're bound and determined that all of the Blossoms will have a good work ethic.  

So, rather than giving a job to all four of the girlies in a girlie-gaggle-group, we purposely isolate those who need help in the work ethic department.  We send the older two off to work on something else and assign jobs to both the Little Blossoms, thereby "isolating" them in a have-to-work situation. 

~ Rather than all the Blossoms unloading the dishwasher, just the Little Blossoms do it.

~ Rather than assigning gopher type jobs (go-fer-this, go-fer-that) and errands to all of them, we sometimes utilize only the Little Blossoms. 

~ Rather than having them all working at the same time, I even occasionally assign jobs to the Little Blossom when the Big Blossoms are reading or playing. (GASP!)

Oh man, I'm not gonna lie; the character issues come out.  The Little Blossoms can't slide under the radar anymore. 

However, I'm excited to tell you that we are seeing little glimmers of progress here and there.  Steady plodding really does make good progress.  So, we keep plodding like the patient animals that trod the trails of the Grand Canyon.  Day by day character is formed and little changes are happening.

Dominique

Not Camping Here

I was spending time with a friend the other day.  She has delightful young girls the Blossoms' ages, but she also has a few children that are older.  I love to observe her with all of her children, especially those that are launching into adulthood.  After I'd been served delicious sparkling water with a slice of lime, which I thoroughly savored, I asked her, "Do you ever worry that you haven't done enough?" 

She shared frankly, "Yes, but I try not to camp out there."  

We talked about so many things that day in the sunshine, but that wisdom has bounced around inside me for weeks.  It's been something I can grasp onto, a nudge sent from Heaven.

She elaborated, "I also pray.  A LOT."  

These two little nuggets so humbly shared are the kinds of the things that mamas further along in the journey can share with those who haven't trekked as far in our motherhood journey yet.  We need those reminders badly.

Dominique

Lately

Lately, I have...

~ Swiped half of a large shipping crate off a neighbor's burn pile (with their permission) to use as a base for a cage. Yes, I loaded it into my truck myself.  My minions were occupied elsewhere.

~ Yelled, "Are they mating?!?!?!" through the house as Blossom3 and Blossom4 enthusiastically declared that Peanut and Puffin REALLY, REALLY liked each other.  It turns out one was in their cage and the other was out, so we're good there.  Sorry if that's TMI for you; it's a reality here.

~ Made room in my freezers, which is no easy task, for scads of water bottles to be frozen in order to aid in "rabbit air conditioning."

~ Been to Walmart more times than I care to admit to pick up various and sundry items needed for 4-H projects.

~ Spent hours in the schoolroom and at the dining room table overseeing said 4-H projects.

~ Chased deer away from the apple trees.

~ Caught a wayward rabbit single-handedly.

~ Snapped a lot of beans.

~ Made the Blossoms snap a lot of beans.

~ Learned to dry old pea vines and bean plants to feed as hay to our rabbits.

~ Pulled weeds.  Lots and lots of weeds.

~ Drank a lot of Sun Tea Palmer.

~ Cut up multitudes of cucumbers to feed to my masses.

~ Fooled Blossom4 into eating Beet Jam, by adding in a bit of grape juice to the recipe and calling it Grape Jelly.  Shhhhhh, don't you dare tell her!  (In my defense, it does taste grape-like and fruity and she was letting the name turn her off.)

~ Hauled and cleaned up wood from a tree that fell in the yard, narrowly missing the truck.

Summers are not exactly vacation around here, but with many hands making the work light, it gets done.  Plus, when we're finished with work for the day, there's always the creek to cool off. 

Walking in that Horrid Land

I've been thinking about exhausted mamas lately. How did we get that way? Why are we weary? Can we identify trends so we don't end up frequently in that horrid land of exhaustion?

I've identified the three areas that most commonly have landed me in a state of weariness.

I often find myself weary when I have not made it a priority to feed my Spirit, when I have not prioritized life-giving time with my God.  

Every morning lean thine arms awhile

Upon the windowsill of heaven

And gaze upon thy Lord.

Then, with the vision in thy heart,

Turn strong to meet thy day.

~author unknown

Only when we have communed with our Lord can we then "turn strong" to meet our day.  We are doing Heavenly work every day, mamas.  We're leading little hearts, molding character and training up little big people.  We're serving our husband.  We're helping.  We're loving.  We're encouraging.  It's Kingdom work, but we can't give from empty tanks.  

If I met an exhausted mama today, I'd hug her and whisper, "FEED YO'SELF" in my best gangtsa accent.

In my weariest spells, if I could peek in on what my spirit looked like, I bet I let myself become a malnourished, weak third world creature... all because I let all the big and loud demands of life here on Earth keep me from feeding my spirit.  FEED YO'SELF.

The fuel of grace is glorious.

When I find myself exhausted, I often realize that I haven't been passing enough work on to my children.   

Mamas, our kids can do A LOT. If you have any doubt, just ask your dairy farm-raised dad or neighbor what they were doing at age eight.  Our kids can do that, if we make them.  It's hard and exhausting in the beginning, which I realize is ironic in a post about weariness, but in the long run, your dogged determination standing over their shoulder will turn out kids that shoulder their load and herego, lighten yours.  

You'll get guff.  You'll hear whining.  You might see rebellious attitudes, but we discipline and keep right on going.  What I mean is, we discipline for not working and then we work some more.  Don't give up.  

Just because the little girls set up a howl over having to unload and load the dishwasher all by themselves doesn't mean we stop.  We correct the whining.  We send them back in.  We discipline.  We remind.  We discipline.  We stay there and supervise.  We micro-manage, if needed.  It takes five  times as long as if Mama does it (right now), but they'll get it.  

I often find myself all worn out when I prioritize "me" time over going to bed early. 

Mamas, I love that little snatch of silence in the evening after the Blossoms go to bed.  It's a calm time and I enjoy it.  It's also a fantastic time to catch up with the Rugged Mountain Man, but we need to GO TO BED.  I love to spend time on Shutterfly.  I enjoy wandering over Pinterest.  I adore reading.  But we need to GO TO BED.  

Nice mamas go to bed at a decent time.  

Ben Franklin knew what he was talking about when he said, "Early to bed..."

Most importantly, if you're in a bad place right now, please don't feel condemned and please don't trudge on alone.  Reach out to me or to someone else who cares and let us be the shoulder that helps you carry on.  I've walked countless days where someone's simple word of encouragement to keep God first, to rest a little or to keep diligently teaching was the word that I needed to persevere that day. 

Take heart and take hope, friend.  His grace is more than enough for us.

Dominique

All snapshots from a recent family wedding at a historic barn.  Yes, I wore my red cowboy boots to that wedding.  It just seemed right.  

Our Fourth

Part of the reason I blog is to share the joy in my life... writing things down helps me highlight the joy, choose it and really see it amidst the hard work and steady plodding of every day life.

 (Blossom3's cookie pizza, with her "helper", Blossom4)

Every other year, we host our families for a Fourth of July celebration.  It's always a blast... well, except for that year that Pappy let little almost toddler Blossom3 have an entire can of Pepsi and I was up all night with a wired baby child.  Maybe that wasn't so great.  Over the years, the prep work was carefully finagled around nap times, nursing times and the general wrangling of smallish children.  Party prep can be a long process that is sometimes just plain hard in the greatest first world sense.

After spending Tuesday supervising Blossom1 and her sewing project, we shifted into party prep mode.  That means our "all hands on deck" policy went into effect.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure if there's a time when it's not in effect.  All the girlies gathered in the kitchen to work on brownies, cookie pizza and salad components.  (We really don't just eat dessert on the Fourth, I promise.)

(Blossom2's Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle.  Again, Blossom4 always manages to be nearby... probably as tasting staff)

The next morning, after choring, the Blossoms congregated in the kitchen again, laughing and taking instructions as we finished out the menu with many hands making work light.  Blossom4 is our go-fer, as in go-fer-this, go-fer that, so she ran about the house, finding this and grabbing that, in between swiping tastes of goodies and peeling and chopping cucumbers.  By 10 am, I sat down to check over my list and was astonished to find that all the food was ready... and we had been having fun...  Yes, FUN.  The Blossoms went out and decorated the porch with various and sundry "pretties" and helped to tie up all sorts of loose ends.

Blossom4 introduces Puffin to "the Gang."

"This is one way children really are a blessing," I thought.

What used to be hard and long and tricky was pleasant and fun and much quicker, but it came after years of making them do little things faithfully.

I'm thankful for the little glimmers of the harvest 

that we get sometimes.  

(Blossom4 is walking back up to the house with my sister and nephews.  Sometimes the Littles get tired before the big kids do.  Or maybe they just want more dessert before the big kids eat it all.  

Also, I'm ever so thankful for friendly neighbor friends who let hot children cool off in their creek.)

Our Fourth party was a success.  We managed to finish our picnic meal before the rain came.  The downpour was so heavy that we all trooped inside, only to lose power for a while.  Everyone lounged about on the porch or in the house, chatting and fellowshipping.  Eventually, the power came back on, our party resumed its normal July cadence and we spent the afternoon soaking in our time together.

Meet Puffin

Blossom3 has experience with male lionhead bunnies.  We adopted two, named Peanut and Gizmo, from my cousins in Wisconsin.  It was a long trip for them via Grandma's vehicle, but I was delighted to surprise the Blossoms with those bunnies.  Peanut and Gizmo have been wonderful little rabbits for the younger Blossoms, receiving loads of attention and love.  Because of her sweet relationship with Peanut and Gizmo, Blossom3 decided that she really wanted a female lionhead bunny.  So, she started praying.... about six months ago.  

The Rugged Mountain Man and I discussed it and decided that we'd okay it.  We looked at shows and kept coming up empty.  No female lionhead bunnies.

But Blossom3 just kept praying.  She had faith, so much so that she decided to name her new bunny "Hope" once she had it.  She talked about Hope.  She wrote stories about Hope's adventures.  

Last week, an email was forwarded to me through two friends, letting me know that a young couple needed to find a loving home for their bunny, so they could move to another country to do mission work.  I opened the email doubtfully, because folks often try to unload unwanted rabbits on micro-farmers.  My jaw dropped when I saw that it was a well-loved, young female lionhead being given to a caring home.  

We eventually connected with this neat young couple and Puffin came to live here today, 

after hours of Blossoms looking out the window, waiting by the window and wailing, 

"When is she gonna be here????"  

"How much longer?????"  

She now touts a slightly fancier name.

The amazing God we serve answered a little girl's prayer.

Welcome, Puffin!