Is There Anything Better?

On Leave
I can't think of anything better than having one of my boys home on leave (other than having them both home). Just having Peter hanging around, eating me out of house and home, and napping on the couch makes my heart sing.

He told me that there's just something about our home that makes him so relaxed and sleepy. I'm glad that he can let go and get some rest while he's here. I've always hoped that our home would be welcoming and restful and I guess it is. :)

Good Reading

We are having BIG fun around here (I'm watching the kids play Rock Band and thinking about a picnic for supper), so thought I would pass along some good reading. :)

Easy Organic Garden Bug Repellent

Printable Garden Journal Pages

Living Unbounded by Feminist Fear (food for thought)

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail (this looks SO yummy!)

Summer Refreshment

Provencal Summer Quilt (gorgeous!)

Graduation Cap Cupcakes (so cute!)

Home to the Nest

Spring Nest
I'm so happy to have some of my chicks home to our little nest. Peter and J are here and she is adorable. We are having a ball showing her the "sights" of our town. I am cherishing every minute that they are under our roof.

Checking The List

1951
I'm checking things off the list for getting the house ready for a cookout this Saturday and company coming Sunday night. I've made lots of progress which is why I haven't even had time to check email much less blog.

I now have two lovely sparkling clean refrigerators! Even the "overflow" fridge in the laundry room is clean which I have to tell you is a small miracle. Cleaning the fridge is my least favorite chore and that one hardly ever gets cleaned. Out of site, out of mind. :) I also have clean ceiling fans and clean blinds (at least in the guest room). I've even been moving furniture to vacuum underneath, dusting baseboards and going through the girls' dresser and closet.

Tomorrow the guest bathroom gets a thorough going over and the kitchen floor will be clean enough to eat off of.

Spray Paint

Yesterday started my week of home improvement. :) I got my barstools touched up with spray paint. My kids are hard on them and we use them every day so they were looking a little worse for wear. They look so much better now!


If you're going to use spray paint for more than about 5 seconds, be sure and get one of these handy sprayer trigger thingys. They're cheap and worth it to save your hands.

And by the way, did I mention that in addition to preparing for guests, we are hosting a cookout for 16 people this Saturday? I'm off to Sam's.

I've hardly made a dent in my list of projects for the week. I'll be sure and keep you updated on how everything is going.

Preparing For Guests

Breeze Blowing Bedroom Curtains
We have company coming next week! Peter is finally back from Iraq and he is coming home on leave and also bringing his girlfriend. If you knew Peter you would know what a big deal this is. He never really dated and was more likely to spend time with a group of friends (that might include a girl or two). Now he is bringing his girlfriend J all the way to Texas! This is not just a passing thing.

I am so nervous, my husband can't stand me. :) I want J to feel at home here. She was raised in a very different environment than how we live. She grew up with a life of privilege, housekeepers, and world travel. We are just country people who might go camping or to a theme park every now and then for vacation and live in your average suburban ranch style house. I don't even have a working dishwasher for heaven's sake!

Peter is going to bunk in with Bobby and I am going to get the guest room fixed up for J. It usually serves as a room for Greg or Peter when they are home and it's full of a lot of their "junk" and leftover bits of furniture that don't fit anywhere else in the house. So please bear with me for what is sure to be a week of rambling nonsensical posts as I try to tear down my house and totally rebuild it for $23. ;)

By the way, I am so hoping Peter hasn't told J about this blog. If she is reading this I think I'll crawl in a hole and die! I don't want to embarrass Peter even further! ;)

An Important Relationship

The Bride
I've been a daughter-in-law for many years, and now that my sons are getting older I'm guessing that I could be a mother-in-law in the not so distant future. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is so important.

I have been thinking lately that when the time comes, I want to be the best mother-in-law that I can be and that also has me thinking about how I can be a better daughter-in-law.

Frankly I didn't make enough of an effort as a young bride to to love my husband's family. I didn't know them well when we married and afterward I was so wrapped up in "wedded bliss" and shortly thereafter anticipating a new baby that I didn't give it much thought. All I knew was that their habit of dropping by unannounced (something just not done in my family) was annoying.

Here is my advice both to young brides, and to myself (I always need reminders).

1. Realize that your mother-in-law is going to be different than your mother. Open yourself to the differences and learn from them as much as you can.

2. Show her respect and compassion. She raised a son that you loved enough to say "yes" to and has lots of experience and hopefully plenty of wisdom to share. :)

3. Be patient and accepting. Even when you disagree don't make her feel dismissed.

4. Don't expect your mother-in-law (or your husband for that matter) to read your mind. As a young bride I should have just encouraged my in-laws to visit on a certain, more convenient day instead of silently feeling resentful when they showed up on our doorstep at an inconvenient time. I probably could have nipped it in the bud.

5. Include her in your life and family. Don't make her feel shut out at birthdays and holidays.

6. Be willing to forgive. Sometimes little comments like "boy those ceiling fans sure are dirty" can sting. Just take a deep breath, pray for her and let it go. Nursing those hurts can drive a wedge between you and your mother-in-law that could also lead to a wedge between you and your husband.

7. Obviously if your in-laws are dangerous to you or your children things are different. I know that happens sometimes, but for most of us if we'll just reach out we can overcome our differences.

Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 5:16

Come To Jesus

This is one of our favorite songs at the moment. Mindy Smith has a beautiful voice.

Brownie Pie

My mom used to make this for my brother and me when we were kids and we always loved it. Can you believe she can still rattle off the recipe right off the top of her head? She must have made it a lot over the years. It's very quick and easy and tastes SO good!

Ingredients:

* 2 eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup flour
* 3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* pinch salt

Pour all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. I usually just use my hand mixer but of course it works well in the Kitchenaid too. You can add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans at this point.

Pour into a greased pie pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. It's even better with whipped cream or ice cream.

In My Kitchen

I've been having fun posting this week from my kitchen at Happy to Be At Home. With kitchens on my mind, I thought I would share one of my "kitchen quirks" with you.

I stack my cute colorful everyday plates and bowls in a pattern. My husband thinks it's hilarious and loves to tease me about it. Even my girls got a giggle out of it when they first started helping me put up the dishes (they know how to stack them now like Mama likes them). I can't stand for them to be out of order! Weird, huh? I don't really mind other things that are out of order in the house, but I will re-stack the plates if the get out of order for some reason.

Please tell me I'm not the only one! You all stack things in patterns in your kitchen right? :)

*update*
The Happy to be at Home website has changed ownership and focus and my guest posts are no longer available.  So sorry about that!

Guest Blogging

Comfy Kitchen
My kitchen is "Kitchen of the Week" this week at Happy to be at Home. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about my kitchen and my cooking than you ever wanted to know. :)

*Update 2010*
It seems that the website has changed ownership and focus, and my guest posts are no longer available.  So sorry about that!  Maybe I'll do my own series about a week in my kitchen sometime soon.

Cutest Flip-Flops Ever!

Mike recently asked what "the kids" should get me for Mother's Day. Isn't he sweet? I told him that I wanted one whole day of nobody fussing at a sibling or complaining about something. :) Think that will happen? Me either.

Today I went to a jewelry party that my mom hosted (and didn't even eat any of the cookies...I'm so proud). She has a very talented friend who makes gorgeous jewelry. She also had some of the cutest flip-flops ever that another friend makes. I've seen similar flip-flops at Cavenders, but these are much cuter.

So guess what the kids got me for early Mother's Day? :)

These are even cuter in real life than they are in the picture (and much more sparkly). Guess what shoes I'm wearing to church tomorrow?

Another party guest who recently moved here from Atlanta had on a pair with turquoise on them that she bought back in Georgia. Is it just a Southern thing or do all y'all like "blingy" flip-flops?

Friday Photo Flashback

I've participated in lots of blog carnivals and memes lately haven't I? Can't come up with anything on my own I guess. :) I just couldn't resist this one. It's hosted by Alicia and the point of it is to go through old pictures and share one (she shared her prom picture from 1987). What a great idea!

I don't really post pictures of my kids except far away or pictures from behind, so I had a hard time finding a good picture. Plus my scanner is being cranky so I had to find something already on my computer.

I finally decided on this picture that was was taken at a balloon festival about 5 years ago. It was the first time we had every been to one and we were fascinated. The balloons took of as the sun was coming up and they were breathtaking. None of us really wanted to roll out of bed so early that morning, but we were so glad that we did.


The little cutie pie you see to the right in the green skirt is Cindy. She must have been about 5. You can just see Bobby's gray shirt on the left side of the picture. He sure has grown since then.