tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32628189917862044472024-03-13T03:06:35.125-04:00Fields and Fine LinenJill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-41138795875467527422011-10-15T20:59:00.006-04:002011-10-15T21:58:53.662-04:00Every year, the same old thingLast weekend my family celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Or, as we call it: Thanksgiving. I love it when John refers to it as "Canadian Thanksgiving" in Canada and all my relatives look at him and remark dryly that we don't specify it as "Canadian" IN Canada. Ha!<br /><br />It's taken me a week to post about the holiday because it was so unremarkable. We did the same old things we do every year- actually with fewer relatives this year due to conflicting schedules. But as I thought more and more about the regular-ness of this year's Thanksgiving, I remembered something that gave me pause:<br /><br />There was a year when we didn't do the "same old things." There was a year when I could hardly taste my Thanksgiving meal. There was a year when I would have given <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> for the regular holiday I had this year. There was a year when my mom wasn't there because she was sick. Very sick.<br /><br />In 2007 my mom developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after a routine surgery. In a matter of days she went from needing an oxygen mask to being in a coma, on life support. Thanksgiving 2007 was spent mostly at her bedside, worrying and praying. Thanksgiving 2007 was spent wondering if she would even be around for Thanksgiving 2005. We hoped and prayed; doctors doubted.<br /><br />But miraculously (and I don't use that term lightly) she's still here. 4 years later we celebrated Thanksgiving in the same old normal way we always do- and I could not be more grateful.<br /><br />I am grateful. Grateful for my mom and dad.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0026.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 628px; height: 418px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0026.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0049.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 624px; height: 416px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0049.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for the ability to sit outside for pre-thanksgiving tea.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0033.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 629px; height: 419px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0033.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0012.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 623px; height: 415px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0012.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0015.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 625px; height: 416px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0015.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0024.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 626px; height: 417px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0024.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for Turkey and stuffing and Oma's red cabbage (my favourite!).<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0068.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 634px; height: 422px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0068.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0084.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 632px; height: 423px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0084.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for another year with Oma and Opa at our table.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0065.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 632px; height: 421px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0065.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for a sister who, try as she might, can't enjoy the taste of wine and drinks apple juice from a crystal glass instead.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0052.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 647px; height: 431px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0052.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for a Dad who, since the dawn of the digital camera, has always been taking Thanksgiving pictures from the head of the table.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0071.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 644px; height: 428px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0071.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for a Dad who teaches us how to make our half empty wine glasses sing.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0085.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 652px; height: 434px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0085.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0088.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 653px; height: 367px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0088.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for after dinner coffee and pie....<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0102.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 474px; height: 711px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0102.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0134.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 472px; height: 706px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0134.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0133.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 650px; height: 432px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0133.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />... followed by an after dinner walk.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0168.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 659px; height: 439px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0168.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for the constant moon.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0188.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 653px; height: 435px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0188.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for a rare autumn chiminea fire in the backyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0224.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 496px; height: 742px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0224.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for family.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0226.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 622px; height: 414px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0226.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0227.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 621px; height: 414px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Thanksgivings/Canadian%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC_0227.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Grateful for the miracle of life we almost lost.<br /><br />But most of all just grateful for the normal, regular, same old, every-year routine that at one time, I didn't know I'd ever get to enjoy again.<br /><br />Thank you God.Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-61826915080038637652011-09-09T14:35:00.004-04:002011-09-13T15:09:41.961-04:00Reflections on my first season of gardeningMy garden is wilting, but I suppose it's time for that. Summer never fails to leave too soon. I was out in my garden today, picking the last of my beans and wondering if my green tomatoes are going to turn red soon (don't they know I'm ready??), reflecting on how much I've learned this summer. I definitely feel a sense of pride, knowing that I nurtured those tiny little seeds until they grew into big fruit and vegetable producing plants. Growing stuff = much satisfaction.<br /><br />But I will admit, in the ratio of "success!" to "oh whoops- probably shouldn't have done that..." the "oh whoops" won out this year. Thankfully, I told myself at the beginning of the season that this was my year to learn and make mistakes in the garden. Next year my goal will be actual food. ;-)<br /><br />First, the successes:<br /><ol><li>Stuff grew from little to big! Even though the goal was vegetables, just the fact that most of my plants didn't die in their infancy was a pretty big success for me.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0040-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 624px; height: 415px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0040-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">A few weeks old. </span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0012.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 623px; height: 415px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0012.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Getting bigger!<br /></span><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0648.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 621px; height: 413px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0648.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Finally starting to fill out. </span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0031-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 623px; height: 415px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0031-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Last picture I took in the summer- almost at it's peak. </span><br /><br /></li><li>Even more exciting: vegetables grew! And we ate them. Most successful were my green bean plants- not surprising since I've heard a three year old could grow these things. After that I got a lot of zucchini and way more basil than I knew what to do with. My cucumber vines grew a couple cucumbers, but I ended up having to pull them out b/c they got too big and overtook my garden. My banana pepper plant only gave me three peppers and same with my bell pepper plant.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0642.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 618px; height: 411px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0642.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">First zucchini!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0036-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 617px; height: 411px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0036-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0002-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 619px; height: 412px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0002-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></li></ol>Second, my "whoops" list- or "things I won't do next year:"<br /><br />1. Don't over-water. Everything I read online stressed the importance of watering a vegetable garden. So I watered. Every.day. When my tomato plants started wilting I talked to someone at our local farmer's market "help" booth and she suggested I had "wilt disease." A few weeks later I talked to a friend and she told me to stop watering. Low and behold! My plants came back to life. Well, except one zucchini plant that had been over-watered to the point of rotting. Yikes. I guess my area gets enough rain to sustain a garden on it's own!<br /><br />2. Don't plant too close together! When I planted my little baby seedlings they seemed so tiny, so I planted closer than the packet instructed. Big mistake. I ended up pulling 2 zucchini plants and a cucumber vine because I didn't have enough space.<br /><br />3. Label your plants! For the first 3-4 weeks after planting I did not know what was growing where because I failed to label properly. Those little white plastic things do not hold up to rain and critters. I went to a craft store to see if I could find little signs to use, but came back empty handed. I ended up buying wooden spoons (50 cents each) and then spray painting and labeling to use as signs.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0013.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 627px; height: 418px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0013.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0016.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 625px; height: 416px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0016.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />4. Open the little seed starters better. I planted my seeds in little soil filled mesh pods, but failed to open the pods sufficiently. As a result, my radishes and carrots grew in very strange shapes!<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0025-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 629px; height: 419px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0025-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Other than that, I think I did pretty good! I also had a problem with Japanese beetles eating my plants, but the only want to solve that is 1) use a pesticide (which I won't do for the sake of the earth) and 2) go out in the evening and flick the pests into a glass of soapy water and kill them. I don't have any desire to spend my evenings flicking bugs. My plants all survived the beetles this year so hopefully they will again next year.<br /><br />I know many a writer has drawn comparisons between gardening and life or weeds and death/sin, so I won't repeat all those lessons other than to say: I get it now. Life is amazing, in both human and plant form. Growth seems miraculous. Disease and death are always frustrating and, at times, devastating. If you want to spend a summer not only enjoying fresh vegetables, but reflecting on the mystery of life, grow a garden. You'll be amazed, perplexed, frustrated, joyful, hungry, and satisfied, all within the boundaries of a few square feet of land.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0022.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 653px; height: 435px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0022.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-37025004984057887412011-08-22T12:28:00.005-04:002011-08-22T14:03:23.921-04:00Siblings Visit<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0078.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 635px; height: 423px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0078.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />One nice thing about growing up is that your relationship with your siblings move from, "Moooooooooooooooooom!!! JILLIAN'S touching me!!! Make her GET OFF OF ME!!!" to, "Mom can I borrow the car to visit Jillian this summer?"
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<br />Ah, maturity.
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<br />My brother Wes, future sister-in-law Kaitin, and sister Jenna all piled into my mom's Sebring and drove the 6 hour treck to visit me (and John) this weekend.
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<br />They arrived on Friday afternoon while I was working in the garden. Wes walked into the backyard first with a typically understated "hey" and a stiff but genuine hug hello. Kaitlin followed with a big smile, a warm embrace and a warning: Jenna's a little bit grumpy.
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<br />Sure enough Jenna, who was within earshot of Kaitlin's teasing comment exclaimed, "Uuughhh. I HATE sitting in the back seat." Welcome, sister.
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<br />That backseat hatred was really unfortunate for Jenna because she had to take a backseat in the car for the rest of the weekend as the 5 of us traveled from store to beach to restaurant and home again. And this time she had to share with me and Kaitlin. Apparently the worst part about sitting in the backseat, according to Jenna anyway, is the boredom.
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<br />Pretty sure that's how this happened:
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<br />Although she wasn't in the backseat for this one:
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<br />... so maybe that's just how her face is.
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<br />ANYWAY
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<br />As you can see, we went to the beach to watch the sunset.
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<br />And it was beautiful.
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<br />We started off day 2 with a trip to the farmer's market.
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<br />I bought normal farmer's market things like bright, fresh, vegetables to make shish kabobs that evening. Jenna bought a fun farmer's market treat: a delicious homemade baked cookie.
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<br />And Wes found the one booth in the entire market with the most unnatural, unorganic, processed thing: strange animal jerky. I mean, I'm all for beef jerky, but this was made with things you don't want to think about eating like alligator and ostrich. Or maybe I'm just weird about that.
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<br />After a stroll through downtown and a quick stop for coffee, we ate lunch at home and headed back out for some shopping. Places like Target and Meijer are sheer delight for my Canadian family members who love to push around big red or blue shopping carts and oggle with delight at all the cheap goods. Every trip includes at least 5 exclamations like, "Jill they have a whole bin of cheese for only a BUCK over here!!!" (Wes owns that one). Checking out is also fun when they realize how little 6% sales tax is compared to 14% at home.
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<br />This particular Target visit was soured a little, though, when Wes was injured.
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<br />It was Kaitlin's fault, really. She had to use the washroom (ahem: <span style="font-style: italic;">rest</span>room) and left Wes alone in the Kitchen and Home section. That was the first mistake.
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<br />The second was that Wes touched something breakable- specifically a novelty size glass canning jar.
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<br />As he tells it, whoever handled the jar before him failed to properly secure the lid back on. To Wes, the lid looked like a perfectly reasonable area of the jar to grasp. Calamity ensued. Jar dropped, jar shattered, foot sliced, blood flowed.
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<br />Kaitlin returned at this point to see poor Wes bleeding in the middle of a sharded glass mess. Thankfully a sales associate nearby arrived to clean up the glass and suggested that Wes go to the pharmacy to get a bandage.
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<br />How nice, they thought: not a mean word about breaking the glass and even an offer to help clean up his foot!
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<br />Well, unfortunately the niceness of Target has a limit. When I saw Wes after this whole thing was over the version of the story I got was Wes pointing at this bandaged foot exclaming, "I cut my foot open on a glass jar and THEY MADE ME PAY FOR THE BANDAGE!!!" And not just one, either, he had to buy a whole box of bandages. The pharmacist recommended "the large ones." So after getting the box, limping through the checkout (with the slowest checkout girl, to be sure), and leaving a trail of blood behind him, Wes had to clean out his wound and scrub his bloody sandal in the target bathroom sink.
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<br />Pretty sure that is NOT standard first aid protocol, especially for a pharmacist.
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<br />Wes' bandaged foot:
<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=foot.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 411px; height: 547px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/foot.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />And to top it all off poor Kaitlin didn't even get to buy anything because she was busy helping the injured. I guess it came full circle though because she really shouldn't have left him alone to begin with. ;)
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<br />The rest of our weekend was fairly uneventful. We enjoyed our shish-kabob dinner:
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0089-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 638px; height: 421px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0089-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />(minus the grumps who didn't want to help with the shishing. Or the kabobing.)
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0086.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 633px; height: 422px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0086.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />We played with the cat.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0153.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 634px; height: 422px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0153.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0118.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 637px; height: 424px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0118.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />(Wow her face really does just look like that, doesn't it?)
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<br />Just kidding Jenna. You're beautiful!
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<br />Oh good grief. It's spreading. ;)
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<br />And we capped off our last night with a beer.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0172.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 645px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0172.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />All good things must come to an end.
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<br />Until next time, siblings. Love to you all.
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<br />Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-27583242728141446652011-08-14T22:16:00.003-04:002011-08-14T23:22:52.728-04:00Playroom ProgressAs of early this week (well, last week since today is Sunday), my daycare licensing application is in the mail! I'm eagerly awaiting a response so I can sign up for the state mandated class and begin interviews for the spaces I have open.
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<br />I don't think I've said it in this blog yet, but I love working with kids. Love it. And I have a very strong sense of calling to invest my life into the lives of God's littlest children. Right now, that calling is taking on the form of an in-home daycare. Because I have a seminary degree I often have people make discouraging comments like, "Well that's not what you went to school for" or "Aren't you going to use your degree?" True, you don't need a seminary degree to run a daycare, but this is where God has called me and I will <span style="font-style: italic;">absolutely </span>be using my degree. In the past two years I've learned more about teaching, education, and faith development than I knew there was to know. And I'm going to put that knowledge to use by loving on and helping raise some little kids with the strong and steadfast love of Jesus. Years from now I'll probably "put my degree to use" in a more typical way, but for now I know that this is where I'm called; and where I'm called is where I want to be.
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<br />So- in anticipation of this calling, I've been busy ordering baby gear, buying toys off craiglist, and getting our playroom kid-ready. When we were house hunting we looked for a house that had a den or bedroom on the main floor that I could turn into a playroom. This house had just the thing and it was basically a blank canvas:
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0282.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 641px; height: 427px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0282.jpg" alt="Master Bed" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Weird angle due to trying to get asmuchoftheroomaspossible into the photo.
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<br /></span>When we moved in, the only piece of furniture I had to use in this room was a futon from our apartment. Before John and I were married, I purchased this unfinished pine futon from someone on craigslist to use as a bed for guests. It came with navy blue cover of which I was not very fond. So I lovingly and laboriously stained the pine with a dark stain, removed the cover, and beautified it (as much as a futon can be beautified) with throws and neutral pillows.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Apt/?action=view&current=DSC00283.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 666px; height: 499px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Apt/DSC00283.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />The futon got a lot of use in our apartment, mostly as a space to read or go online with a laptop.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Apt/?action=view&current=DSC00640.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 415px; height: 553px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Apt/DSC00640.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Sorry about the poor quality photo. This was before I got a fancy pants camera.
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<br /></span>In a playroom, however, I knew the white throw wouldn't exactly cut it in terms of keeping clean and safe from little syrup-and-maker-covered hands. So back on went the blue cover. Ugh.
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<br />If I had to stick with a blue cover, I knew I had to walk away from my go-to earthy and neutral palate and play with some real color. And not just a pop of color in a pillow or decorative item kind of color. Color on the walls kind of color.
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<br />So after weeks of starting at swatches of various greens, oranges, and yellows, I settled on Valspar's "New England Yellow." It just the right intensity for me- not "school bus" or "lines on the road" bright, but not to be described as "pale" or "understated" either. This is a kid's space, after all.
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<br />View from the living room couch:
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0006.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 443px; height: 662px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0006.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Sorry again about the poor quality. This <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> taken with my fancy pants camera, but I haven't yet mastered the art of good lighting.
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<br /></span>Inside the room:
<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0001-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 656px; height: 436px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0001-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />I picked up the long pillow on clearance at Pier One and went back the next day to get the red ones. They are made of felt and down filled, which I love. The color was again, a bit bold for me, (hence not purchasing them on the first Pier One trip), but I think they work. Can I call them "whimsical?" That's what I'm going for.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0043-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 661px; height: 439px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0043-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />These three frames are just cheapies from IKEA filled with scrapbook paper. I love the way they turned out!
<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0052.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 665px; height: 443px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0052.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Another IKEA find: kids table and chairs.
<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0054-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 666px; height: 443px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0054-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0072.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 664px; height: 442px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0072.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />I am still deciding on what art to put on the wall above the table. I'm leaning toward an owl decal from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62253290/owl-on-a-branch-decal-cute-vinyl-wall?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=owl+on+a+branch+decal&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade">etsy</a> like this:
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=owl.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/owl.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />What do you think?
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<br />And of course, no playroom is complete without toys! My mom found this shelf/organizer unit at a garage sale for me, covered in marker which she patiently sanded off until it looked new (thanks Mom!). I found the baskets (still need one more- $6 each) and wire bins ($1.50 each!) at Target.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0013-1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 648px; height: 431px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0013-1-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />So far only Jasper has played in here, but he seems to like it! He actually stole a plush toy mushroom from a play vegetable set I have, and refuses to give it back. Jokes on him though 'cause I'm pretty sure kids don't like mushrooms, anyway.
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<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0090-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 647px; height: 431px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0090-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>
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<br />Still to do in the playroom:
<br /><ul><li>2-3 more art pieces on the wall</li><li>window treatment</li><li>add baby gear when it arrives
<br /></li><li>more toys!</li></ul>If you have any super cool or just plain whimsical playroom decor or storage ideas leave me a comment! I'm always up for inspiration.
<br />Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-16125572257879701762011-07-27T11:50:00.003-04:002011-07-27T14:08:16.208-04:00ChicagoHectic and tiring.<br /><br />As good as this summer has been, it has been hectic and tiring. For the last 4 months, we've had packing and unpacking, sanding and painting, cleaning and organizing, trips and company, tests and appointments, projects and paperwork up the metaphorical wazoo.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong- we've been very blessed, but down time has been sparse. After the whirlwind of the last 4 months, John and I decided to take a short, one night getaway to Chicago.<br /><br />And despite the temperature reaching 100 degrees (!), it was just what we needed.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0066-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 641px; height: 426px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0066-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Even when we were in Florida for a summer, I don't think I saw our car thermometer read 100*!</span><br /><br />First stop: Millennium Park<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0025-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 647px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0025-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0056-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 649px; height: 432px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0056-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've always wanted to see the Cloud Gate sculpture in person, so we dragged ourselves through the park, dripping and sweating all the while. I'll say: it was worth suffering the heat! It is really quite a remarkable piece; it seems as though it dripped down from the sky in liquid form, like mercury, without beginning or end. One seamless whole. If it wasn't so hot I think we cold have stayed and stared for a white but we were eager to get back into the air conditioning!<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0050-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 651px; height: 433px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0050-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0041-1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 648px; height: 428px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0041-1-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Check out that sweet couple holding hands behind us :) </span><br /><br />We spent the night relaxing in our hotel and hit up IKEA the next morning to pick up a new bed frame for our guest room (pics to come). After IKEA we headed back into Chicago and took a long walk down the Navy Pier which was bustling with people. We were there on a Monday so I can't even imagine how busy it must be on weekends!<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0113-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 660px; height: 439px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0113-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0151-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 664px; height: 442px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0151-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0216-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 661px; height: 439px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0216-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0229-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 663px; height: 441px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0229-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0242-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 658px; height: 437px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0242-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was stifling hot again on Monday, but we did get some relief on the pier with a gusty wind. Figured out why they call it the "windy city" at least.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0204-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 666px; height: 443px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0204-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />And we finished our visit with a long-craved dinner of Ethiopian cuisine. If you're ever in the Chicago area, this place is worth visiting. Sour and fluffy injera, spicy stews, and a beer named after the elephant who killed one of the brewery's founders. Really, what more could a person want for dinner?<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0285-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 646px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0285-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0277-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 642px; height: 427px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0277-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0268-1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 640px; height: 498px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Chicago%20July%202011/DSC_0268-1-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Only regret was that it couldn't be longer!<br /><br />Have you ever gone on a mini-vaca? How was it? Any recommendations in the MI/IL/IN/ON area?Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-27422992179390347992011-07-26T12:03:00.003-04:002011-07-26T13:07:43.739-04:00Oma and Opa Visit<div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"> Hear this, you elders;<br />listen, all who live in the land.<br />Has anything like this ever happened in your days<br />or in the days of your ancestors?<br />Tell it to your children,<br />and let your children tell it to their children,<br />and their children to the next generation.<br /><br />- Joel 1:2-3<br /></div><br />My Oma and Opa have been visiting with us for the past few days and we've had a wonderful time together. We've been touring around our town, visiting the local bargain stores, buying lots of cheese and liquor (cheaper to buy it there take back to Canada, you know), and drinking gallons of coffee on the front porch every day. We took a few longer trips and laughed while we listened to the GPS spit out directions in Dutch because "She stutters in English!" (Truly. Good thing my grandparents are bilingual!). But the best part of all has been listening to all the stories.<br /><br />That's the best thing about grandparents. The stories.<br /><br />My Oma and Opa immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands after WWII. My Opa grew up in a foster home before determining to become a minister and leaving for the USA to study in seminary. My Oma got married in Canada to a wonderful man, had 3 young children (one of whom was my mom), and then lost her husband to cancer at the young age of 28. After returning to the Netherlands with her little ones for a season, my Oma returned to Canada where she married my Opa. The 5 of them became a family and added two more children in the next few years. I believe they could talk for months on end with all the stories they have. Some filled with so much humor they can barely be told for all the laughing (like the time Opa had to climb down into a grave after a funeral service to retrieve the about-to-be-buried man's watch, which the funeral director had forgotten to remove!); and others more sobering, of hard times and sadness (like struggle to maintain hope during my mom's long illness in 2007), and some that just make you reflect on our lives (like my Oma's comment that her grandmother was illiterate and here 5 generations later both John and I work "so fast on da computer!"). But always laced with optimism, faith, and confidence in God as creator and sustainer of all.<br /><br />We took evening trips to the beach, to feel the cool water lapping at our toes and the pleasant warmth of the setting summer sun on our faces.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0005-1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 568px; height: 457px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0005-1-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0035-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 564px; height: 375px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0035-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We walked the pier and listened to the powerful sound of waves crashing on the rocks and of Oma repeating in her soft Dutch accent, "Oh dis is <span style="font-style: italic;">sho</span> beautiful!"<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0020-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 564px; height: 375px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0020-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0060-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 569px; height: 378px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0060-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0014-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 570px; height: 379px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0014-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />sho beautiful, indeed.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0092-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 573px; height: 381px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Summer%202011/DSC_0092-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-13230555254536633002011-07-21T20:37:00.004-04:002011-07-21T21:59:46.680-04:00Soup & SaladIf you name your daughter "Apple" you might get a side eye from me, but I'm all for second chances. And a second chance is just what I needed to give actress Gwenyth Paltrow, who, as it turns out, wrote an awesome cookbook. Our friends Paul and Lindsay (who I'd comfortably label "foodies") gave us this book as a housewarming gift a couple weeks ago and I've been loving my kitchen life ever since.<br /><br />Being married to a pastor I have ample opportunity to hone my culinary skills. Tonight we had a couple from church over for dinner and with the heat today, I decided to go simple: soup and salad. I've also been trying to health-up our (well, "my"- and John's be default) eating habits by reducing refined sugars and using more fresh, nutrient rich ingredients. Our eating habits weren't bad... but there's always room for improvement.<br /><br />On the menu:<br /><ul><li>Fresh baked (bought) bread with pesto inspired by the <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Season-Expanded-Community-Cookbook/dp/0836194942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311299612&sr=1-1">Simply in Season</a> </span>cookbook</li><li>Slow Roasted Tomato Soup from Gwyneth's <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Daughter-Delicious-Celebrating-Togetherness/dp/0446557315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311297338&sr=8-1">My Father's Daughter</a> </span>cookbook</li><li>Mayo-less Tuna Salad with Arugula from <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/mayo-less-tuna-salad.html">skinnytaste.com</a><br /></li><li>Berry Crumble from <span style="font-style: italic;">My Father's Daughter </span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pesto </span><br /><br />I've always wanted to make my own pesto, but that much basil is pricey to buy in store. Luckily the basil plants in my garden are doing great and I've been searching for reasons to use it!<br /><br />This is a basic recipe:<br /><ul><li>1 cup basil leaves</li><li>2 cloves garlic<br /></li><li>3 tbs Parmesan (I use nutritional yeast)</li><li>1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted</li><li>1/3 cup olive oil </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Combine and blend</span><br /></li></ul><br />Basil from my garden (1 cup)<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0026.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 605px; height: 402px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0026.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan because I'm lactose intolerant. Nutritional yeast has a savory taste that rivals the best cheese and is full of B vitamins (3 tbs).<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0035.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 606px; height: 403px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0035.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0043.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 607px; height: 405px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0043.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Love my Magic Bullet!<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0044-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 615px; height: 520px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0044-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Delicious on a fresh baked loaf of bread.<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0107-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 613px; height: 456px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0107-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slow Roasted Tomato Soup<br /></span><ul><li>This recipe is copyrighted but worth buying (or borrowing from the library) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Daughter-Delicious-Celebrating-Togetherness/dp/0446557315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311297338&sr=8-1">this</a> cookbook!<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0053.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 567px; height: 378px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0053.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Slow Roasted Tomatoes. These take 4 hours at 250* so I left my oven on while I drove to pick up John from work; I worried the entire time. I left the doors unlocked in case the house burned down so our cat Jasper could escape. Like that would help.<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0085.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 570px; height: 377px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0085.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Soup! (My plating-without-spilling-on-the-edge skills need some practice)<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0093.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 333px; height: 498px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0093.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Inspired by blogger Mama <a href="http://mamanatural.com/">Natural</a> I made the switch this month from regular iodized salt to natural salt, which contains lots of good-for-you trace minerals. The salt has a more earthy taste than what I'm used to, but I am starting to prefer it.<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0040-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 562px; height: 437px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0040-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mayo-less Tuna Salad<br /></span></span><ul><li>recipe found<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/mayo-less-tuna-salad.html"> here</a> (skinnytaste.com)<br /><br />Capers, arugula, and pasta oh my!<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0104.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 345px; height: 516px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0104.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Berry Crumble<br /></span><ul><li>Another copyrighted recipe (again- buy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Daughter-Delicious-Celebrating-Togetherness/dp/0446557315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311297338&sr=8-1">this</a> cookbook!) but what I love about this recipe is that it only uses 1/3 cup brown sugar. The rest is all natural sweetness from the fruit. Awesome!<br /><br />I used strawberries (picked 'em myself when we went berry picking with our small group!), raspberries, and blackberries.<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0012.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 566px; height: 376px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0012.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0021.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 567px; height: 376px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0021.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0114.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 565px; height: 376px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0114.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></li></ul>The only problem I really had with this meal was that a certain someone kept napping in the middle of my kitchen rug and refusing to move out of my way. He also went a little nutso when I opened the tuna can for the salad. Good thing he's cute. ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/?action=view&current=DSC_0072.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 599px; height: 399px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Food/DSC_0072.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-5896266294508641002011-07-19T00:11:00.004-04:002011-07-19T00:40:09.646-04:00Jasper"People with pets are generally happier."<br /><br />Have you heard that one before?<br /><br />I have. And I think it's true.<br /><br />John and I had a cat for a few short months in 2010. He was a re-homed adult ragdoll for whom we had great affection. Unfortunately barely 3 months into our new lives with him he developed an untreatable and incurable lung disease. That was the end of our kitty Sterling (RIP).<br /><br />You can imagine the trauma of loving a pet and picturing years ahead with him only to have him up and die. (Not to mention the grumbling at his veterinary bills!)<br /><br />It took us a while to gather up the courage to try again, but a few months ago I started searching petfinder.com for another Ragdoll.<br /><br />I'll tell you what: adopting a cat is serious business these days. I filled out a bunch of pet applications, answered essay questions, and provided references (no joke!) and got many "sorry so-and-so the cat has already been adopted."<br /><br />But this past Wednesday I opened my inbox to a great surprise: one of the kittens for whom I had applied never got picked up by his adopters! He was ours if we wanted him. And how we did!<br /><br />One three hour long round trip with my mother-in-law later, I brought this little guy home:<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/?action=view&current=DSC_0026.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 624px; height: 415px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/DSC_0026.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />He came with the name "Desi Arnaz" who, apparently, is a guy from <span style="font-style: italic;">I Love Lucy</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt5PXv5VYLLSQXjkqSTg9s3W90dbKtoIs-BVxUj7W75-_vjp8a"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 249px;" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt5PXv5VYLLSQXjkqSTg9s3W90dbKtoIs-BVxUj7W75-_vjp8a" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But that was way before our time (who's Lucy and why do you love her, btw?), so we renamed him Jasper. If you watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Road to Avonlea </span>growing up you might remember the taunting tune, "Jasper Dale, Jasper Dale, like to hid in a garbage pail!" Despite the bad rap poor ol' lispy Jasper got in Avonlea, I've always been partial to the name. So Jasper it is.<br /><br />We think he's pretty cute.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/?action=view&current=DSC_0004.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 656px; height: 436px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/DSC_0004.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, most of the time anyway. ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/?action=view&current=DSC_0012.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 458px; height: 686px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Kitten/DSC_0012.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-52663874052663827892011-06-18T15:27:00.009-04:002011-06-18T16:43:07.961-04:00House progressWe've been our house for 2 months now and though our "to-do" list is still much longer than our "done" list, we've made some good progress in the living room, dining room, and extra bedrooms. The biggest change we made was refinishing our hardwood floors. We had hoped to paint right away too, but alas time has gotten away from us and we have yet to break out a brush. We'll get there eventually.<br /><br />For now here are some progress pictures of 4 rooms in our place:<br /><br />Living Room Before<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0297-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 668px; height: 445px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0297-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Living Room Progress (still to-do: paint, hang pictures)<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0018.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 664px; height: 442px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0018.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0009-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 681px; height: 237px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0009-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(curtains, friendship balls hanging in the living room, and extra/accent chairs in the dining room)</span><br /><br />Dining Room Before<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0296.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 438px; height: 654px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0296.jpg" alt="Dining Room" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dining Room Progress (still to-do: paint, hang pictures and clock)<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0021.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 483px; height: 723px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0021.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0026.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 654px; height: 434px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0026.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Guest Bed/Laundry Before<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0322.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 421px; height: 630px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0322.jpg" alt="Upstairs bed 2" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Guest Bed/Laundry Progress (still to-do: paint, buy bed frame)<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0074.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 655px; height: 435px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0074.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0076.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 655px; height: 436px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0076.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Front Bed Before<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0289.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 658px; height: 438px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0289.jpg" alt="Bedroom (2 of 3)" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Front Bed Progress (still do-do: paint, hang pictures, get headboards for the beds, get a dresser)<br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0087.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 476px; height: 713px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0087.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0080.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 683px; height: 453px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0080.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/?action=view&current=DSC_0089-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 688px; height: 252px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/314%20W%2015th%20Street/DSC_0089-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Any suggestions for paint colors? We already bought gray for the main floor, but now are thinking that we might just paint the one "accent wall" (currently peach) to match the rest of the walls (taupe). What about the bedrooms?Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-78976393566419354702011-06-14T20:28:00.003-04:002011-06-14T21:10:13.430-04:00GardeningOne week until my one-month-iversary with my garden! And things are actually growing!<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0045.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 574px; height: 382px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0045.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Green pepper<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0046.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 567px; height: 850px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0046.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Cucumber<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0038.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 569px; height: 379px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0038.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />Zucchini Squash<br /><br /><br /><br />This is a huge accomplishment for me already. Especially since I went away for 10 days to visit my parents and didn't quite know what to expect when I came home. When I left there was lots of rain in the forecast, so when my parents asked me who was watering my garden I answered, "The sky."<br /><br />The sky was not faithful to its promises, however. Or maybe the weather-person needs a new job. In any case, a friend was kind enough to water for me after 4 dry days and then it finally did rain.<br /><br />When I got home the plants were all growing nicely in their designated rows, but some friends I did not recognize came to visit. So today I weeded my garden for the first time. Or I hope I weeded, at least, and not "vegetabled." I don't really know what a weed looks like versus what a vegetable plant looks like , so I just played a nice game of "guess which one of these doesn't belong??" with myself and pulled a bunch of crap out of there. We'll see in a few weeks whether I pulled the right things!<br /><br />So far I can say one thing about my garden: I've learned a lot! Which is a nice way of saying I've made a lot of mistakes and hope to not repeat them next year. My parents are already doubting that I'll even have a vegetable garden next year. Those doubters (hi dad!). We'll see.<br /><br />In any case, I already know my garden is way to big for how many plants I have. Next year: smaller garden. I'm also contemplating doing a raised square foot garden next year instead of a regular in-the-ground one. I *almost* did one of those this year, but some more experienced gardeners told me not to invest the money building one of those (lumber, soil, etc) until I knew whether I <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>liked gardening. Some of my friends have their square-foot gardens on facebook and I LOVE them. So lush and attractive. Since I planted right in the ground on a slope (only part of the yard that gets full sun), mine's a bit (okay a lot) of a crooked eyesore right now.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0040.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 585px; height: 389px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0040.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Don't tell it I said this, but I wince I little when I look at it. Next year will be prettier.<br /><br />I'm also contemplating just going with container gardening next year. I had a few plants leftover (back when I thought my garden was "full"- yea right. Who wrote the spacing requirements on my seed packets??), so I planted them in some extra pots I had around. Look how pretty.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0042.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 596px; height: 397px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0042.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I *think* these are tomatoes. But I'm not entirely sure.<br /><br />And my indoor herb pot looks pretty great too. Although in hindsight I wish I would have done one for cilantro and one for basil; this one has both and the cilantro is over-powering the basil. And although I love cilantro, I was more excited about the basil. I might just have to get another one of these pots and dedicate it to basil alone.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/?action=view&current=DSC_0050.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 605px; height: 403px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Garden/DSC_0050.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Basil in salad, basil on a sandwich, basil with goat cheese (on pizza?), basil in scrambled eggs. Mmmmmm. What else can I put basil on? ;)Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-26053443295993166562011-06-07T11:44:00.004-04:002011-06-07T18:38:54.851-04:00Where I come fromI come from a family of five in a beautiful little city in the wonderful country of Canada. And I'm lucky that where I come from is only a six hour drive from where I am.<br /><br />Which means that I get to visit fairly often. And I get to stay a long time when John goes out of town. Like this week: John is in India with some friends from church and I am in Ontario, visiting family and friends. (Am I allowed to say that we're an international couple this week?)<br /><br />The best part of coming back to where I'm from is remembering the sweet routines, the daily traditions, that make our family what it is.<br /><br />Like Saturday morning garage sale-ing (sailing?). Which as a child I was dragged to, hoping and praying there would be some good toys at the <span style="font-style: italic;">next</span> one, and then staying in the van reading a library book when there weren't. And which, as a teenager, I stayed and bed and slept right through, only to be awoken by my mom barging in my room exclaiming, "Jillian! Look what I got for two bucks!" "Hmmmpfh. Looksgoodmom. *yawn.*"<br /><br />Now that I'm all grown up I still hate waking up early, but I have a new found respect for anything that only costs two bucks. So I drug myself out of bed and joined my parents, brother and his girlfriend, on a garage sale hunt through the rain.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0301.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 697px; height: 463px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0301.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0327-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 697px; height: 464px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0327-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I got some pretty good deals, although I admit I mostly showed stuff to my mom and let her do the bartering (she's a pro. her moto is "Cut the price in half and go from there." Usually she gets it for her half-price offer too.)<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0313.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 708px; height: 472px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0313.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0369.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 709px; height: 472px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0369.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I got this old trunk for only $7! </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0308.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 715px; height: 475px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0308.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">If I didn't have to lug it all the way back to Michigan I might have snatched this cute little set right up. I'm now thinking about what furniture in my own place I could paint this color! </span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0317-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 724px; height: 482px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0317-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">My mom bartered this painting down to $5 for me! I everything about it. My dad then tried to sell it at the next yard sale when another lady fell in love with it like I did. I had to turn down her pleas. Sorry lady- this one's coming home with me!<br /><br /></span>Sunday means church, then cake and coffee, then lunch. Dessert before lunch might seem backwards, but that's how we roll. On Sundays at least.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0318.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 725px; height: 483px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0318.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the summer we eat outside, moving our plastic adirondack around the yard, following the shade. And food always gets served on fancy crystal trays. Just because it's Sunday.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0309-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 728px; height: 485px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0309-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0299.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 731px; height: 487px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0299.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0294.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 729px; height: 486px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0294.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday afternoons are for lazing around, taking naps, watching golf on TV (if you're my dad), fixing up old bikes that your mom found in the trash so you can re-sell them online (if you're my brother), and taking lots of pictures with your camera, wondering when you're going to "get good" at it (if you're me), and just generally being super cute (if you're Hugo).<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0325-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 738px; height: 492px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0325-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0355.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 743px; height: 495px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0355.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/?action=view&current=DSC_0301-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 739px; height: 492px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Burlington%20Summer%202011/DSC_0301-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Family traditions = good for the soul.Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-70218709659676398322011-05-23T11:42:00.009-04:002011-05-23T13:31:54.817-04:00The glory of graduation<div style="text-align: center;">"Not well traveled<br />not well read<br />Not well-to-do<br />or well bred<br /><br />just want to hear instead:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">well done</span> good and faithful one."<br /><br />- Nichole Nordeman, "Legacy"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This weekend I reach a long-sought goal: I graduated from seminary! I remember first entertaining the idea of seminary when I went to a month-long seminary "summer camp" type experience in 2003. 8 years later I'm filled with nostalgia as I look back on that summer and marvel at how God has lead me on this journey. I am blessed.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/?action=view&current=DSC_0349-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 647px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/DSC_0349-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">With Mom and Dad before the ceremony (nervous smile!) </span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/?action=view&current=DSC_0383-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 646px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/DSC_0383-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">After the ceremony: with my brother Wes and his girlfriend Kaitlin. </span><br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/?action=view&current=DSC_0387-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 646px; height: 430px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/DSC_0387-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Me and my handsome husband John! </span><br /></span><br />Our seminary president delivered the perfect address during the commencement exercises. He spoke about glory.<br /><br />Glory.<br /><br />A seminary graduation is a strange event, glory-wise. After years of long lectures and late-night study sessions that so often result in very unglorious grumbling, stressful moments, and sometimes a frustrated tear or two, you suddenly dress up in a fancy robe and hood and put on that telling graduation cap and participate in a very dignified ceremony. After you've walked across the big stage and received a firm handshake and "congratulations" from the president people clap and cheer and even give you a standing ovation.<br /><br />You get to hear about what an amazing thing you've done: you have your master's degree! You're a big deal.<br /><br /><a href="http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/?action=view&current=DSC_0367-1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 637px; height: 423px;" src="http://i341.photobucket.com/albums/o385/jillianmb08/Jill%20Graduation%20Weekend/DSC_0367-1-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Receiving my diploma and a "Congrats and God bless you" from the seminary president. </span><br /><br />But it didn't really feel all that impressive when you were doing it. Mostly it felt normal, like you were just plugging along, completing one assignment after the next. Sometimes it got exiting and others times it got frustrating, but it really wasn't all that glorious.<br /><br />In his address, the seminary president reminded us that it was in Christ's moment of weakness that he was glorified, that his death on a cross was his ultimate moment of victory. Jesus received glory, but he did not seek it. He sought faithfulness and glory was a by-product. He also reminded us that when Moses saw the glory of God, his face shone <span style="font-style: italic;">but he did not know it. </span>"...he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD."- Exodus 34:29.<br /><br />That was his prayer for us and now our prayer for ourselves: that we would not seek glory in our ministries, but faithfulness. That we would plug along in our tasks, receiving glory only as a by-product. <br /><br />And that when our faces glow with glory, we would not know it.<br /><br />It's nice to wear to wear a fancy robe and receive a standing ovation, but in the end what we really want is to hear these words from our master: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful..."</span><b><br /></b><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div></div></div>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-15532024331503130952011-05-10T11:33:00.006-04:002011-05-10T11:54:59.942-04:00Sprouting before their time!Eep! Despite the directions clearly reading, "Plant outside in 2-3 weeks," my radishes and sunflowers have sprouted and then some and my green beans are catching up fast! Obviously I am not equipped for the "ya-gotta-sorta-feel-out-your-plants-to-know-when-their-ready-to-plant" aspect of gardening and I'm still about two weeks from building my garden in the backyard. So I have no place to put them!<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEj8DXpSOPL6nXFFIntEfnKxyT9QBL0C6pTtTQqihM2azqdsn6hEeLJudH99mz46Q-MYaqJ649qE8apLmiInIzs8uZYnluz_lI1T5hU0Vsrbd5t8wRY2qPw4-BAWIv7xsDyawRkQ7kM7a/s1600/DSC_0297.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEj8DXpSOPL6nXFFIntEfnKxyT9QBL0C6pTtTQqihM2azqdsn6hEeLJudH99mz46Q-MYaqJ649qE8apLmiInIzs8uZYnluz_lI1T5hU0Vsrbd5t8wRY2qPw4-BAWIv7xsDyawRkQ7kM7a/s400/DSC_0297.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605113895556109058" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pvfoPHMmOYiarbR2ZsUvo0ev7oGBIga201pCIv6q8p9elCIwB4s97GP_Gpbo4PzAV2Emz-UatHgLduXulLuAm0eAdgcM8w-N-qyVTNQgUAH6Li_SyDPZIlLWabdp9_QERrmnU0QrT7if/s1600/DSC_0301.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pvfoPHMmOYiarbR2ZsUvo0ev7oGBIga201pCIv6q8p9elCIwB4s97GP_Gpbo4PzAV2Emz-UatHgLduXulLuAm0eAdgcM8w-N-qyVTNQgUAH6Li_SyDPZIlLWabdp9_QERrmnU0QrT7if/s400/DSC_0301.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605113921733039874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Radishes</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYD7GdIlSyho2aHRabFnk5Bv0DXJVod4FruX3wPL6kW5Nr-Qj7xGIn6fV1SuTL9k24FTqAvFWYX5pByj31BwheXvbU5uGSp90LBi0qfyiOeRgV-0ZkgHV7N1fAAGdlFuxGacU-PGE-I04/s1600/DSC_0309.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYD7GdIlSyho2aHRabFnk5Bv0DXJVod4FruX3wPL6kW5Nr-Qj7xGIn6fV1SuTL9k24FTqAvFWYX5pByj31BwheXvbU5uGSp90LBi0qfyiOeRgV-0ZkgHV7N1fAAGdlFuxGacU-PGE-I04/s400/DSC_0309.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605113911273756658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CBSIlvRuxUf3fmR6h__MpA6pMswmSWUChEPTfWaw0W6DheS4nrqASEKt5rUAYEvVRRKZhXEnXUtOz0kHAc0il2Qi7yICinL06wSK0mY2nDJR5tcB4gW4w30vp5dfYaiivpONLKF6L8od/s1600/DSC_0307.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CBSIlvRuxUf3fmR6h__MpA6pMswmSWUChEPTfWaw0W6DheS4nrqASEKt5rUAYEvVRRKZhXEnXUtOz0kHAc0il2Qi7yICinL06wSK0mY2nDJR5tcB4gW4w30vp5dfYaiivpONLKF6L8od/s400/DSC_0307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605115603047239890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunflowers </span><br /><br /><br />I called a friend last night for advice and she suggested re-planting in a plastic container (wish I would have saved those old margarine containers like Grandma did...) until I can get them outside in two weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Since it takes a village to raise a </span><style>p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" ><s>child</s></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> garden, I'm looking for more advice. <span style="font-weight: bold;">How long can I keep these plants in their little soil pods? Should I replant them in a bigger container like my friend suggested?</span></span></div>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-5802822458278011882011-05-05T21:11:00.012-04:002011-05-06T10:13:33.012-04:00A prayer for planting<div style="text-align: left; font-style: italic;">Father in heaven,<br /></div><div style="text-align: left; font-style: italic;"><br />This is our food and our drink, and it is all yours.<br />And we ask now, help it grow and that nothing would happen to it.<br />May the animals not take the seeds, not the blackbirds or the blue jays.<br /><br />We know you give us this food, and also food for these animals too.<br />In your Word it says this.<br />We know you created the animals and birds<br />and that you give them food also.<br /><br />We ask, by the goodness of God,<br />that our corn grow over the mountains and valleys.<br /><br />We don't have the power,<br />you have the power,<br />and all is in your hands.<br /><br />- Domingo Coc Ico, Se'mesche', Alta Verapaz, Guatemala<br /></div><br />~<br /><br />John and I have been in our new house for almost two weeks now and are slowly unpacking. We are repainting and refinishing our hearts out, but there is one aspect of our new life as homeowners that I am very excited about: having a backyard!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NbVruPqXxANIh-BmbUq6vgDHyjOh3B9y8zIXa5QLLU9fue01kWqe2Je0u1S3NQEorJGs67s1s_6rBMui3EtgJY0hkpu4JYeVSF85gMWiwYUsAXFnAYu8HL-ayM8G66hR5XDwaBaSRWzV/s1600/DSC_0385.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NbVruPqXxANIh-BmbUq6vgDHyjOh3B9y8zIXa5QLLU9fue01kWqe2Je0u1S3NQEorJGs67s1s_6rBMui3EtgJY0hkpu4JYeVSF85gMWiwYUsAXFnAYu8HL-ayM8G66hR5XDwaBaSRWzV/s400/DSC_0385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417988164012498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alright, so it's not much right now... but I see potential and am on my way to fulfilling it!<br /><br />Last spring I took a class called "Shalom" at school and, as they say, it changed my life. The class impacted me in many ways, and specifically in the area of ecology. I went from being a person who believed in caring about the earth because it was "a good thing to do," to being someone with a deep and steadfast biblical conviction about my God-ordained role in caring for the earth.<br /><br />Since that time, John and I have been slowly and surely looking for ways to make good changes in our lifestyle. We started buying our meat from a local farm (where we know the animals were humanely raised), we try to eat vegetarian more often, we switched to eco-friendly cleaning products (probably the easiest change), we just bought a High Efficiency washer, and now: I'm going to try my hand at vegetable gardening!<br /><br />When I first started toying with the idea of gardening I felt a bit overwhelmed. I'm more of an indoor person and I'm not big on getting dirty, so gardening seemed like a pretty big challenge. Then I remembered a local urban vegetable garden that John and I used to walk by in our old neighbourhood. Their beds seemed so orderly and manageable. If I could have a garden like that, I was ready to take on the challenge!<br /><br />Enter google. A few searches later and I had discovered "square foot vegetable gardening:" a method of gardening that uses square/rectangular boxed beds to intensively plant a garden.<br /><br />As you saw in the above backyard photo, I don't have my beds built yet, but this afternoon I took the first step toward growing my garden: I planted my seeds!<br /><br />Don't tell anyone, but I had to take the easy way out and get one of these starter kits:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWwS5CNxUDhl-zYLlPGmtyoQ2di2HECC9fcd9rpwng_sUr3PXHYOGmL9CjqKPDOMfEiayaw-v1tWayJ6Vexdd0oFz830vHTA9wMuZmrXaHCIy_KkWblP78ttZJpU99gW2vtblaG0EdLjS/s1600/DSC_0325.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWwS5CNxUDhl-zYLlPGmtyoQ2di2HECC9fcd9rpwng_sUr3PXHYOGmL9CjqKPDOMfEiayaw-v1tWayJ6Vexdd0oFz830vHTA9wMuZmrXaHCIy_KkWblP78ttZJpU99gW2vtblaG0EdLjS/s400/DSC_0325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603415873263337506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />... because last summer I tried to grow cilantro in a flower pot and failed terribly. Like I-only-grew-three-lousy-sprigs-of-cilantro-even-though-I-planted-four-pots-full kind of terrible. Seeds + dirt = I can't do it. But seeds + little packaged soil pods + a detailed instruction manual = YES I CAN!<br /><br />So this afternoon I grabbed hold of my confidence, my starter kit, and my watering can and got to work.<br /><br />As you can see on the starter kit package, I'll be growing 12 things: radishes, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, pumpkin, green beans, peppers, cilantro, beafsteak tomatoes, sweetie tomatoes, and cucumbers.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJb92DU9UWTAa8Vucu4v9V1D5Hso9wIImVObuz88HvF54LdIKPVCS19oe_o3aC-oCNgxUHuJdLGCBvMNLYhJ24IQStiN-FtybRhlkWjvyauZK9tGUy5U33DDxMgBF4ScvYDe6ibJZPF2FN/s1600/DSC_0356.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJb92DU9UWTAa8Vucu4v9V1D5Hso9wIImVObuz88HvF54LdIKPVCS19oe_o3aC-oCNgxUHuJdLGCBvMNLYhJ24IQStiN-FtybRhlkWjvyauZK9tGUy5U33DDxMgBF4ScvYDe6ibJZPF2FN/s400/DSC_0356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603415894233474626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Step one: open the kit and read the instructions.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKj6oOT96eVL7XEWXhSvIpfiQPIJoFUtt6ffth55tqSpC6A4zmrB7ZxEwP-IEizW_1ALy2LtvUNvg09U_kzWQIvlKe-2F5l1DbuBm187vbVj3GUiWreUCChPgg-2Fnl3oq2JBEQaqOpjP9/s1600/DSC_0350.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKj6oOT96eVL7XEWXhSvIpfiQPIJoFUtt6ffth55tqSpC6A4zmrB7ZxEwP-IEizW_1ALy2LtvUNvg09U_kzWQIvlKe-2F5l1DbuBm187vbVj3GUiWreUCChPgg-2Fnl3oq2JBEQaqOpjP9/s400/DSC_0350.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603415891208563794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Step two: place the little soil pots in the "green-house" and water.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PFsNcSck-MK_REYDvrbRw6a7_9cBmH1qbWoKLRMkw_WkejtwptOZ3deCuw5JYQc1VpB7IeQSIh6_vGcc8v7o2jbewq_vlyM2ISwPcsdRYkU3fvvZOT7WNdTFDcgQOq1bo5NORMePTFZU/s1600/DSC_0330.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PFsNcSck-MK_REYDvrbRw6a7_9cBmH1qbWoKLRMkw_WkejtwptOZ3deCuw5JYQc1VpB7IeQSIh6_vGcc8v7o2jbewq_vlyM2ISwPcsdRYkU3fvvZOT7WNdTFDcgQOq1bo5NORMePTFZU/s400/DSC_0330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603415884095625106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UsC4Nvh67Kv2Ia3w0PuiI80gekvLhMiezJiYjcL-xAk584MwRQL_0pD2qyvx1IkaZDbhMB0llIxAHRsPOUsxeoZpHLGsu755MJeM3_mDDiADqe38TH7yz1Q8Dj3TJCP-MIwsvf9IhNwN/s1600/DSC_0335.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UsC4Nvh67Kv2Ia3w0PuiI80gekvLhMiezJiYjcL-xAk584MwRQL_0pD2qyvx1IkaZDbhMB0llIxAHRsPOUsxeoZpHLGsu755MJeM3_mDDiADqe38TH7yz1Q8Dj3TJCP-MIwsvf9IhNwN/s400/DSC_0335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417992102471794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4E1VECbxnln4xxFm7IpwazPv1MBBzJdRGFx-6aKsoqq4_HjQ5s4G2eOGmSH4Sbb0e-_Ohk_n-z55Vu1e1Uv2mCmWRBB386NtwJJy5GOW5-t-mNyuNAUlkwMFljEbTo0IjrnQc2dEWKr_-/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4E1VECbxnln4xxFm7IpwazPv1MBBzJdRGFx-6aKsoqq4_HjQ5s4G2eOGmSH4Sbb0e-_Ohk_n-z55Vu1e1Uv2mCmWRBB386NtwJJy5GOW5-t-mNyuNAUlkwMFljEbTo0IjrnQc2dEWKr_-/s400/DSC_0338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417977588970242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Step three: run out of water. Get more water.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvSy1iKqW6ZCf4tQ_SUxJt5pjLx0YFVjD04kJubA1jXA6yYWfF1SZZuDC7LaQlYJ-1WwH3YgQFwzG0-98gsqq0d5fPA6qaPSh-iKgJgQIM2PhcvI2nzCy_kP0AVJV65QO799RbTUO9xHe/s1600/DSC_0352.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvSy1iKqW6ZCf4tQ_SUxJt5pjLx0YFVjD04kJubA1jXA6yYWfF1SZZuDC7LaQlYJ-1WwH3YgQFwzG0-98gsqq0d5fPA6qaPSh-iKgJgQIM2PhcvI2nzCy_kP0AVJV65QO799RbTUO9xHe/s400/DSC_0352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603417996651566034" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Step four: open seed packs and admire them. Hard to believe these tiny little babies will become my summer lunch!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1RxqLukPq-X7_GtJiLeMZwxx4X99soslP_XvFz2QqZfPJ7JkMeoSqIeKIdqjuQ-WYCNAz6k2h2fkl4IcFV7B-_JQrY3AqOxknNYCXb6E9kEkiJVwDNrEHsCoiZTVqKZ6OHgwjyrSiiom/s1600/DSC_0370.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1RxqLukPq-X7_GtJiLeMZwxx4X99soslP_XvFz2QqZfPJ7JkMeoSqIeKIdqjuQ-WYCNAz6k2h2fkl4IcFV7B-_JQrY3AqOxknNYCXb6E9kEkiJVwDNrEHsCoiZTVqKZ6OHgwjyrSiiom/s400/DSC_0370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603415903081010642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Step five: plant the seeds.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ntLCizQlDEDG2E_AveDXKf5VcKOkKsv2yWy0cChie1Yros5ebkOEa7Bb41-tHVaj5QemATviNjmYcqcib8tkeDBNp5K9eiuwG5mEcBn9cz4b5v-1M7RjdwabrwX3PqT87pL42s8qqNDz/s1600/DSC_0375.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ntLCizQlDEDG2E_AveDXKf5VcKOkKsv2yWy0cChie1Yros5ebkOEa7Bb41-tHVaj5QemATviNjmYcqcib8tkeDBNp5K9eiuwG5mEcBn9cz4b5v-1M7RjdwabrwX3PqT87pL42s8qqNDz/s400/DSC_0375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603419452480674082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeSlfsUu7bgdUovsd9SlwlqkjlQx38mWjQ6lvUOf7qBwMDWGEoPqbry1FvmCxeYgqR_BOUr7RZvzrxJ69AbxJJdu-Suu5LMWd2pYSE-Bi1vJ4mXyZh8Qg2Q4fkVV0F1K7v8GOLc7NKp5_/s1600/DSC_0358.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeSlfsUu7bgdUovsd9SlwlqkjlQx38mWjQ6lvUOf7qBwMDWGEoPqbry1FvmCxeYgqR_BOUr7RZvzrxJ69AbxJJdu-Suu5LMWd2pYSE-Bi1vJ4mXyZh8Qg2Q4fkVV0F1K7v8GOLc7NKp5_/s400/DSC_0358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603419454245067810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Step six: cover, pray <span style="font-style: italic;">A Prayer for Planting,</span> and watch them grow!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiwK4saY_nT2ET3vLJpaT23ShK7pe46iTxyasz03N75QX5AsAAlZa8xywZMIp7HmGVE2BUWcwX7VKyPndoVcFr7WJDN-fDPS_vmql3Z0QwP9Ku-_NGKzeRB7tArVok8Ej2UdiCXuk9Z5c/s1600/DSC_0371.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiwK4saY_nT2ET3vLJpaT23ShK7pe46iTxyasz03N75QX5AsAAlZa8xywZMIp7HmGVE2BUWcwX7VKyPndoVcFr7WJDN-fDPS_vmql3Z0QwP9Ku-_NGKzeRB7tArVok8Ej2UdiCXuk9Z5c/s400/DSC_0371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603418005540916146" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In two weeks they will have all germinated. According to the directions.<br />Another couple weeks and it will be time to plant outside!<br /><br />Stay tuned for my "we built our gardening beds!" post in a few weeks.Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-78761198273617346272011-04-08T18:22:00.006-04:002011-04-08T19:09:15.358-04:00Crown KingAfter John and I visited the barely-a-speck-on-the-map town of Cleator Arizona (see last post) we continued up the mountain with our caravan of family members.<br /><br />About an hour more of driving up the mountain we reached our destination: Crown King. Crown King is a "ghost town," inhabited by miners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today about 100/150 people live there, running the restaurant, general store, and "bar" (aka brothel- more on that in a minute).<br /><br />Our first stop was the restaurant for some lunch.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZkEfbmrX5EaBlcPAq2Z6UHyQ5FbtPOvQViJJIsv0Cnpo_aSfKmJo7EDaeoIPqF85Wc7NHC2gGMaQNqxYcl2OS4pebMv1XSsMyf6_UHP26fn6AHIO7O4meDlTizpgE9i8-nau8wzTqgq9/s1600/DSC_0561.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZkEfbmrX5EaBlcPAq2Z6UHyQ5FbtPOvQViJJIsv0Cnpo_aSfKmJo7EDaeoIPqF85Wc7NHC2gGMaQNqxYcl2OS4pebMv1XSsMyf6_UHP26fn6AHIO7O4meDlTizpgE9i8-nau8wzTqgq9/s400/DSC_0561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593343877897047202" border="0" /></a>Notice the trees up here; the landscape changed from dusty desert to fields of golden grass and finally to forests the higher up we got! Fascinating.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyoHFGTecbvzGgX0MGzilppEIFTk7Pp6S9FLQQFjnN0oLayEW2sQhuM7SDzzvswdftFvtIbEwHH4bVB0eOHGXyYutGTA155eoSW8o9uODg4pJpMv8H4cDhMi9kbgpxHtUn4yTDFSu8-0d/s1600/DSC_0583.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyoHFGTecbvzGgX0MGzilppEIFTk7Pp6S9FLQQFjnN0oLayEW2sQhuM7SDzzvswdftFvtIbEwHH4bVB0eOHGXyYutGTA155eoSW8o9uODg4pJpMv8H4cDhMi9kbgpxHtUn4yTDFSu8-0d/s400/DSC_0583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347067671611522" border="0" /></a>We were the only guests in the restaurant when we arrived. The building, as you can see, was constructed with a collection of wood siding and tin sheets. Inside the owner kindly advised us to mind our step as we passed over the old crooked wooden floors. Our table and chairs were old but solidly constructed and the decor was a eclectic mix of former mining tools and machines along with some more delicate items like the stained glass installation pictured below.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijecPOoKi-jaRfKsInZXB04582RGie8g8cVG_9_HJFDMMPeM4URs1pS0PcLOO3eTRLNrtsKLHWtHUWAi05senwMe9AQo1t8ZswU3u10UNg-reb_sC3zUv0t1eIe-DG7Lm-l4YbSQ_CBhny/s1600/DSC_0568.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijecPOoKi-jaRfKsInZXB04582RGie8g8cVG_9_HJFDMMPeM4URs1pS0PcLOO3eTRLNrtsKLHWtHUWAi05senwMe9AQo1t8ZswU3u10UNg-reb_sC3zUv0t1eIe-DG7Lm-l4YbSQ_CBhny/s400/DSC_0568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347044678766194" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2sHTqBvbasRfMAgnjIHsV9FiEMsLXa_x2EKxxLZ0vaigE-fRzbG9XD7CTgbOawKHoLawTHwNY0TkIxnHng0-T3e3YPMv_UzouSt_5mqeks7gCo_l105jApzeqCUsSGrFK-NBXQq4z_jo/s1600/DSC_0572.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2sHTqBvbasRfMAgnjIHsV9FiEMsLXa_x2EKxxLZ0vaigE-fRzbG9XD7CTgbOawKHoLawTHwNY0TkIxnHng0-T3e3YPMv_UzouSt_5mqeks7gCo_l105jApzeqCUsSGrFK-NBXQq4z_jo/s400/DSC_0572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347053068681618" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBWddjkXalkxFavbHtwrb4qvVvgLbPnG6ihmosWDYNhc09FYZSbFD-jQz9JBcdySzSbrNM4a8gG5fPgMDg62oODOgtILnHlisK_CeLzSj69M9cEUO4iExe8jS3meZkTeSChuhZbkVkVSf/s1600/DSC_0580.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBWddjkXalkxFavbHtwrb4qvVvgLbPnG6ihmosWDYNhc09FYZSbFD-jQz9JBcdySzSbrNM4a8gG5fPgMDg62oODOgtILnHlisK_CeLzSj69M9cEUO4iExe8jS3meZkTeSChuhZbkVkVSf/s400/DSC_0580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347055090778754" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JQA3aZNbO3YXQG5YPpbh8rB5LBjldbpazr9-l5Tn9DU9qUAyaGVlXmUJHh8GB0T10FQjm6YXmxU0CmoRHI_dEYrdBpvuyNrMKimigYyB_nmS3weqHu84lmTvkX4ubMLXLEdpOhQMTeY0/s1600/DSC_0590.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JQA3aZNbO3YXQG5YPpbh8rB5LBjldbpazr9-l5Tn9DU9qUAyaGVlXmUJHh8GB0T10FQjm6YXmxU0CmoRHI_dEYrdBpvuyNrMKimigYyB_nmS3weqHu84lmTvkX4ubMLXLEdpOhQMTeY0/s400/DSC_0590.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593347070871424914" border="0" /></a>After a quick stop at the general store we wandered down the dirt road to take a look at the bar.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdRBbI4wOw2nhDJvNWkGJP7cImQBkgc3PL1fzi6WEhgAUfALsTuhrVErF_UcjFZIctKr2ek_XB6GbcqBLHe3leZExQhMBHie1gZzA_d3Cp6i8EBAoLywKYj8dxxggr8rcqkxaM4Y6Ktyc/s1600/DSC_0596.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdRBbI4wOw2nhDJvNWkGJP7cImQBkgc3PL1fzi6WEhgAUfALsTuhrVErF_UcjFZIctKr2ek_XB6GbcqBLHe3leZExQhMBHie1gZzA_d3Cp6i8EBAoLywKYj8dxxggr8rcqkxaM4Y6Ktyc/s400/DSC_0596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593349966215175826" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTnFb04j4jwKdxRehnqzMd_4cewn0DryB-GQVGB_Y_B8AuSdYbVhsD_y7dgCYNu_0nlHsuneI7zY1jHAmqFdy0_2VOwhrJ2f1U769jqBoc_Bjg2pRnLt7HF5IFCfVTHeD9RshU0gc8Tfc/s1600/DSC_0601.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTnFb04j4jwKdxRehnqzMd_4cewn0DryB-GQVGB_Y_B8AuSdYbVhsD_y7dgCYNu_0nlHsuneI7zY1jHAmqFdy0_2VOwhrJ2f1U769jqBoc_Bjg2pRnLt7HF5IFCfVTHeD9RshU0gc8Tfc/s400/DSC_0601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593349990092442674" border="0" /></a>During lunch we had read about the town's history and saw that this bar was originally a brothel. As it turns out, it seems to still be operational! Much to John's Aunt Barb's dismay. Earlier in the year she and her husband had checked out the local "hotel" to see about spending the night in Crown King as a get-a-way, but after seeing the dingy 4 guest room and ONE bath accommodations, they had decided against it. Good thing because when we saw the "brothel" sign above the bar door and watched a woman in hot pink shorts call out flirtatiously to an older long-haired gentleman "Are you gonna come and see me tonight honey?" as he drove away on his four-wheeler (complete with "DIVORCED" license plate) we got the picture real fast. Poor Aunt Barb exclaimed, "Well now I'm REALLY embarrassed!"<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGO_3ZXzFNf47SLbgeOfeN49brd_skHdNZQsAWNL6H4-CyIwJGdpeKI2SABxKQCOVxdcZFI9OEbnsZ2TYDrmb3kY5CZhOZJNCce_gTSAz1yEd56h9Wuks9ELEAYMbGbWMci0UYgCaKV67/s1600/DSC_0602.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGO_3ZXzFNf47SLbgeOfeN49brd_skHdNZQsAWNL6H4-CyIwJGdpeKI2SABxKQCOVxdcZFI9OEbnsZ2TYDrmb3kY5CZhOZJNCce_gTSAz1yEd56h9Wuks9ELEAYMbGbWMci0UYgCaKV67/s400/DSC_0602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593349986098932530" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaNYUK4o5BMX31zOoidrmhX2-QlSyJYSZvGqJ-gO-Xb6WRop0pN6EMf6ZMWwMISGvti7m-21c0c2BDooQAvPswGaF9iNUq3vftJWr8NY786i-bOxIrCyJuuA8kjs7MiUrxYbs6pTg6xJ-/s1600/DSC_0614.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaNYUK4o5BMX31zOoidrmhX2-QlSyJYSZvGqJ-gO-Xb6WRop0pN6EMf6ZMWwMISGvti7m-21c0c2BDooQAvPswGaF9iNUq3vftJWr8NY786i-bOxIrCyJuuA8kjs7MiUrxYbs6pTg6xJ-/s400/DSC_0614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593349982458233810" border="0" /></a>Between Cleator and Crown King our trip up that Arizona mountain was quite an experience! We saw some gorgeous sights, heard some hilarious stories and came back with a few of our own. I think what I was impressed on me the most was how fine the tension is between human strength and frailty. Driving up and down those dusty roads on the side of a mountain was hard enough in our SUV and pickup truck, but imagining those first settlers making the journey on foot and with horses and wagons is just incredible. The strength of those first families who came to mine just blows me away. And on the other hand, looking down the side of that mountain I thought about how fragile my life is. One wrong jerk of the wheel and everyone in our car would have lost their lives. I'm sure many of those early miners lost friends and family members before even reaching Crown King. Poisonous snakes and wild animals about in that area; I wonder how many met their end on that desert mountain.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvlUyBJgIA6A-Lq79ybDPjeZgZaGzO8zOALHcwNzPhjn-SnMdJQ5Kiq8O-r8c4EokvrcvzOukOjZjAAwAEe4i9W0F7Ey2EnsLyb2rfD1RKhrpJMegXcY_0097jQ-mDBa4vtv066vntQyE/s1600/DSC_0628.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvlUyBJgIA6A-Lq79ybDPjeZgZaGzO8zOALHcwNzPhjn-SnMdJQ5Kiq8O-r8c4EokvrcvzOukOjZjAAwAEe4i9W0F7Ey2EnsLyb2rfD1RKhrpJMegXcY_0097jQ-mDBa4vtv066vntQyE/s400/DSC_0628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593349973424420034" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYY_r2bmcdetU0EAvQAvSTye1NbDXAPlBPdMAEYvFxas_l3r9rGamXFN7w2fN4zdLEVHrkGduJPXBFF5l8ibPUYulGAq78mSJ4LZ9A021RbGM9XPfpOY-iEcN0Z6xp601uQnvNB2kpaa7/s1600/DSC_0608.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYY_r2bmcdetU0EAvQAvSTye1NbDXAPlBPdMAEYvFxas_l3r9rGamXFN7w2fN4zdLEVHrkGduJPXBFF5l8ibPUYulGAq78mSJ4LZ9A021RbGM9XPfpOY-iEcN0Z6xp601uQnvNB2kpaa7/s400/DSC_0608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593353374262230402" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkl-mo-yCuXg1n5xjROJwvkudtUBrNikv58mvebUq-O8QyWCV-y8qN6SPehMoMtkQLK5lUeaat0w_1QUvdk_bEiHO5EF2GfypRQbnGWLOyof7hh0bIRPknG0oMmUpk_VjIgmi6xK0nHdj/s1600/DSC_0609.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkl-mo-yCuXg1n5xjROJwvkudtUBrNikv58mvebUq-O8QyWCV-y8qN6SPehMoMtkQLK5lUeaat0w_1QUvdk_bEiHO5EF2GfypRQbnGWLOyof7hh0bIRPknG0oMmUpk_VjIgmi6xK0nHdj/s400/DSC_0609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593353365635750370" border="0" /></a><br />A precarious journey to life and wealth or to hardship and death.<br />Mines of gold and copper once abundant, now empty.<br />One town of thousands now left to few.<br />"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;<br /> may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21)Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-55616741601901428822011-04-02T17:53:00.014-04:002011-04-02T19:12:09.791-04:00Cleator Arizona10 steps to get a girl from Ontario to Cleator, Arizona<br /><br />1. Grow up in Ontario<br />2. Decide to attend a Bible College<br />3. Decide to attend a Bible College in Michigan<br />4. Fall in love with John at said Bible College<br />5. Get married<br />6. Move to Michigan with husband<br />7. Have my in-laws move to Arizona<br />8. Visit in-laws in Arizona<br />9. Take a day trip up a mountain to Crown King, Arizona<br />10. Stop in at a <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> small town bar on the way: Cleator, Arizona.<br /><br />Hokey Pete. I once visited Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa and in thought that was remote. Turns out "remote" is a very relative term.<br /><br />On Friday morning John and I get up early with my father-in-law and head out of Fountain Hills where my in-laws live. So far my first Arizona experience has been sipping sun tea and enjoying gorgeous mountain views.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb_pK_dlWGhG7GxZCOgJ9uwJfuJAMzaKqJ8Ob2L7bm5voskWjK20iZQs4u52z99_j4sF_hgXK0HB83WkZ-TCV-uFSCCqvU8VZ5xYeXYDSSwDVniKkVWPhgR0kzRwAJR1UciYX1vNbBnBO/s1600/DSC_0325.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb_pK_dlWGhG7GxZCOgJ9uwJfuJAMzaKqJ8Ob2L7bm5voskWjK20iZQs4u52z99_j4sF_hgXK0HB83WkZ-TCV-uFSCCqvU8VZ5xYeXYDSSwDVniKkVWPhgR0kzRwAJR1UciYX1vNbBnBO/s400/DSC_0325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591112591708189442" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJzKm8GkzkLd4un8vAeoRDuKWQGb6nkBGR82TAj5u9W1rWQZ7qyLHRzGrpNBoAbrfRpCHd6Y43Pg-TvdhQTFLlpr8KM9h6K4jWOsezG1gdmuKMyOfeBCvZcI535RMwCjD4J4O-hKz_myG/s1600/DSC_0430.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJzKm8GkzkLd4un8vAeoRDuKWQGb6nkBGR82TAj5u9W1rWQZ7qyLHRzGrpNBoAbrfRpCHd6Y43Pg-TvdhQTFLlpr8KM9h6K4jWOsezG1gdmuKMyOfeBCvZcI535RMwCjD4J4O-hKz_myG/s400/DSC_0430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591112601495711170" border="0" /></a><br />If those mountains are this gorgeous from here, I could just imagine what they'd be like close up. So off we go. About an hour into the trip we meet up with John's Aunt Barb and Uncle Vern as well as my FIL's cousin Tom.<br /><br />Barb, Vern, Tom and my FIL had all been on this trip before. Their eyes sparkled with sly anticipation as we journeyed on. Our final destination was Crown King, a small mining town in the Bradshaw Mountains (elevation 5,771 feet).<br /><br />Driving through the mountains was incredible, gorgeous, breath-taking. Any cliche expression you can find to describe a mountain view: they were it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCPNhLgH3GheFPY5oZjXqpmYrlYZgV4TfSbJLt5AxclQ8xb-yYcVJ_G2HOHD7lGljpN1GJQzbzndgpL2chaOzyf5QtrJzHyhpE0JsfZC7uChWddpnoxPW9zMEgG8L8NzKu2rHsIOfn5Vt/s1600/DSC_0491.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCPNhLgH3GheFPY5oZjXqpmYrlYZgV4TfSbJLt5AxclQ8xb-yYcVJ_G2HOHD7lGljpN1GJQzbzndgpL2chaOzyf5QtrJzHyhpE0JsfZC7uChWddpnoxPW9zMEgG8L8NzKu2rHsIOfn5Vt/s400/DSC_0491.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591116046748319538" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT0DAbpjVk9LeGR5wDcx0BtVbGtIzgpANhQ1eWElrGDyX3n_beq5ZlWyeT4BYF76pdqCxNmJGreC62-uXXemlk1MFkuWzz-qwWEUnbe9vEd4gud9QqalHBikXHKjGfzfip3Qm7vPiT_W1/s1600/DSC_0484.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT0DAbpjVk9LeGR5wDcx0BtVbGtIzgpANhQ1eWElrGDyX3n_beq5ZlWyeT4BYF76pdqCxNmJGreC62-uXXemlk1MFkuWzz-qwWEUnbe9vEd4gud9QqalHBikXHKjGfzfip3Qm7vPiT_W1/s400/DSC_0484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591116035311571538" border="0" /></a>There were more than a few times when our SUV got a little too close to the edge of the mountain road for my comfort. Guard rails were few and far between and it was a long.way.down to the bottom. *gulp*<br /><br />So I clenched the seat and closed my eyes while my stomach dropped and before I knew it my FIL was pulling into a... well, "town" might not be the right word. A "place" that looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gp0VjQDojgF6gGNORnl8Ur0P9GzEZr4F9ML83a6OucOXaoIY2iQqwhHV_tZ7F1Ap6Kc3Rp-z3RHUcbc7ZcrwdOasfzxx5hl18TYR1cjql8ht0l3SMDk9oYjjTNG3RCpy-j4arWEraDHH/s1600/DSC_0492.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gp0VjQDojgF6gGNORnl8Ur0P9GzEZr4F9ML83a6OucOXaoIY2iQqwhHV_tZ7F1Ap6Kc3Rp-z3RHUcbc7ZcrwdOasfzxx5hl18TYR1cjql8ht0l3SMDk9oYjjTNG3RCpy-j4arWEraDHH/s400/DSC_0492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591118436663531298" border="0" /></a><br />Welcome to Cleator, Arizona. Population: 11. And where 11 will gather, there also shall be a bar.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBmS4JvgdAzX2hEzx40U1Wg3UDLKnsa1-_B-7PbJdGMVx-kj4k_iRXxZ2Aw8iFJWeMFEWo_glMZ-SklmnJ5K2IqeTut8QUWeEDK5qykhlLeOJ-HeA1z7nnrD0gOACy_TWSRJj20-wHovF/s1600/DSC_0519.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBmS4JvgdAzX2hEzx40U1Wg3UDLKnsa1-_B-7PbJdGMVx-kj4k_iRXxZ2Aw8iFJWeMFEWo_glMZ-SklmnJ5K2IqeTut8QUWeEDK5qykhlLeOJ-HeA1z7nnrD0gOACy_TWSRJj20-wHovF/s400/DSC_0519.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591119565751431698" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMAaNN5VZFUO4az5P4A81ruOmM2dSaPkJhpr8WdqoGouL80t-nAtj1DbkGWAScUPIcblY47o_fG2JLxkZ0USUSUj0yyvwM4yeDQ5jTyW_LaVidFsTdGxICkxIPLGuKie5TR-ZqE2fZokn/s1600/DSC_0497.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdigH7BYvbRjRl1gsQFZ5uB-5_21bga3-Nx8KT1rxvyDGJ0_4tXgwu7DFltvPoV2g92WjObJLVPAV7XiSISpou1Gvr0hb_tR977xZuy0GY_vJLcDhN9QJdxYBzJJzJr14bgeuUzvRMQAX/s1600/DSC_0496.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdigH7BYvbRjRl1gsQFZ5uB-5_21bga3-Nx8KT1rxvyDGJ0_4tXgwu7DFltvPoV2g92WjObJLVPAV7XiSISpou1Gvr0hb_tR977xZuy0GY_vJLcDhN9QJdxYBzJJzJr14bgeuUzvRMQAX/s400/DSC_0496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591119563711915074" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8emiyv3ofLaSG0k7ObgxdcPX1vijqC8qcy8hx6WejDwmSjEuG6_2XUKJlgK4dNhEzPsAsCiRSsvRM-_yvidl39w6WbhHsDzfZ77RwiDyeTQo-YiG77kk8jdaOVdpgfj4Xd_6VN-zuRa1K/s1600/DSC_0495.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8emiyv3ofLaSG0k7ObgxdcPX1vijqC8qcy8hx6WejDwmSjEuG6_2XUKJlgK4dNhEzPsAsCiRSsvRM-_yvidl39w6WbhHsDzfZ77RwiDyeTQo-YiG77kk8jdaOVdpgfj4Xd_6VN-zuRa1K/s400/DSC_0495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591119555102702626" border="0" /></a>Now I can't decide what was more entertaining. The decor:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMAaNN5VZFUO4az5P4A81ruOmM2dSaPkJhpr8WdqoGouL80t-nAtj1DbkGWAScUPIcblY47o_fG2JLxkZ0USUSUj0yyvwM4yeDQ5jTyW_LaVidFsTdGxICkxIPLGuKie5TR-ZqE2fZokn/s1600/DSC_0497.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMAaNN5VZFUO4az5P4A81ruOmM2dSaPkJhpr8WdqoGouL80t-nAtj1DbkGWAScUPIcblY47o_fG2JLxkZ0USUSUj0yyvwM4yeDQ5jTyW_LaVidFsTdGxICkxIPLGuKie5TR-ZqE2fZokn/s400/DSC_0497.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591119563660929346" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMOUhiprgaISZCkV_SOfdOuQLU7oDBMzv33CaQHPRpyqbA54rDXKbMboM2TKIT8QoyQ58HfzNghi9qUPwySb4M_c_Y7s1C3nAVwj95OYKSt5aOiA7COOqFUGqwE9dyLr_IM9DlQViHO0K/s1600/DSC_0656.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMOUhiprgaISZCkV_SOfdOuQLU7oDBMzv33CaQHPRpyqbA54rDXKbMboM2TKIT8QoyQ58HfzNghi9qUPwySb4M_c_Y7s1C3nAVwj95OYKSt5aOiA7COOqFUGqwE9dyLr_IM9DlQViHO0K/s400/DSC_0656.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591120749468734418" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoDEcwsEfAao4GsE3cVhruQqGhtVKd_310rvuhPbDHzR1Bn_8QYeDxyFCMvRdTW2RWjBCgvZPQEeWAoK3FoWK8-ONlbJHpswkhT7-ka3cOCs4V_R4Clp630WH8G_Il96s9X9wXEnVaK8o/s1600/DSC_0657.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoDEcwsEfAao4GsE3cVhruQqGhtVKd_310rvuhPbDHzR1Bn_8QYeDxyFCMvRdTW2RWjBCgvZPQEeWAoK3FoWK8-ONlbJHpswkhT7-ka3cOCs4V_R4Clp630WH8G_Il96s9X9wXEnVaK8o/s400/DSC_0657.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591120750913057730" border="0" /></a>Or the locals, who apparently <span style="font-style: italic;">loved</span> visitors like us and had an abundance of stories to tell. Like this guy behind John:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FyfdRinljdvmc_-p7kxcotsp-w4Bao61CFMl1uooUrtrmOdTJIYT8FDhXPFgg1c2FLidZf_chmKjaq4HiYxib5xFxC1Ti-go8ZQ6qRbvYx0MJ0x6Gx5435U21fe3ENAyv3Civ3xbQndZ/s1600/DSC_0522.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FyfdRinljdvmc_-p7kxcotsp-w4Bao61CFMl1uooUrtrmOdTJIYT8FDhXPFgg1c2FLidZf_chmKjaq4HiYxib5xFxC1Ti-go8ZQ6qRbvYx0MJ0x6Gx5435U21fe3ENAyv3Civ3xbQndZ/s400/DSC_0522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591120755136064658" border="0" /></a>Who lived up there in the truck in the right of this photo for FOUR YEARS before moving into a tin cabin about 500 yards behind the bar:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBcx7KZcUV0yGDfo4Dc2Q73wxpXg6m5m3GfQ2GpuIJG1wcQhRYXLGmMDA2SJpHG7lerJP91CSgeZi-1Hb5_7DtVtkTjkeEAm9wiR9GFE3CltTNWGAMVekPQIXbd8FJ5Dj-VbVnWsMvYJr/s1600/DSC_0526.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBcx7KZcUV0yGDfo4Dc2Q73wxpXg6m5m3GfQ2GpuIJG1wcQhRYXLGmMDA2SJpHG7lerJP91CSgeZi-1Hb5_7DtVtkTjkeEAm9wiR9GFE3CltTNWGAMVekPQIXbd8FJ5Dj-VbVnWsMvYJr/s400/DSC_0526.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591120762088792754" border="0" /></a>At first I wondered who'd want to live way out here, so far from all our modern conveniences. But then you see these views:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKFBUeKNZTTE7r0da-b8kUFaTjhcrwGV88J8rkEmz0T4G4QSjQkccxQLHswJbY8KefVy6_h0kFYApErRk_d6pUCkwIqMEbZzgox5SsF3-ugV-TtrPx8-JMu9ZNtm0a9iwAzZMIXfusi3R/s1600/DSC_0652.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKFBUeKNZTTE7r0da-b8kUFaTjhcrwGV88J8rkEmz0T4G4QSjQkccxQLHswJbY8KefVy6_h0kFYApErRk_d6pUCkwIqMEbZzgox5SsF3-ugV-TtrPx8-JMu9ZNtm0a9iwAzZMIXfusi3R/s400/DSC_0652.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124165129783218" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wd6E6i_QCuHSB3cp6SurYI1HFKfD2uBhrLpDshaiVyw_naARECcRHbIOJ_XYQgKU1JC5sIfYl3q9g5dumVdpovLT4RLc-AzL3VWMzKQn4idMoUdHCsIMNkR6s6ZzdyZ_j3T9wEqCkF9x/s1600/DSC_0645.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wd6E6i_QCuHSB3cp6SurYI1HFKfD2uBhrLpDshaiVyw_naARECcRHbIOJ_XYQgKU1JC5sIfYl3q9g5dumVdpovLT4RLc-AzL3VWMzKQn4idMoUdHCsIMNkR6s6ZzdyZ_j3T9wEqCkF9x/s400/DSC_0645.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591122529159574594" border="0" /></a>and it makes sense. Well, almost. ;)<br /><br />A few more photos of the old (no longer used) Cleator General Store:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98tOgcrJgCFtk_mxeGLmuGnEGmNOnrbFBqiew4TTuduP6YWFDX6eXIcLMiQDEFYS4l1fdV7WIdLqX2lRjEAaR4LvmKs5n_ZxvuzZ2SXqzE_Lvh40W1rhIWVm4ha5PA3A8d7ASWULuX3KJ/s1600/DSC_0505.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98tOgcrJgCFtk_mxeGLmuGnEGmNOnrbFBqiew4TTuduP6YWFDX6eXIcLMiQDEFYS4l1fdV7WIdLqX2lRjEAaR4LvmKs5n_ZxvuzZ2SXqzE_Lvh40W1rhIWVm4ha5PA3A8d7ASWULuX3KJ/s400/DSC_0505.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124173367565666" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKNQwsjAXYDXmEEctuyVOLRmmMpLBukXAqBEVO3CC0RUvWXPrgxcypdJz11X_me-IysmmUx_U4SypfoL7EPBOdPjhJ83vvMJcwaadsML3McJUcpWmyDyHoiyw_JFMAFOoJEwadNDP5f5K/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKNQwsjAXYDXmEEctuyVOLRmmMpLBukXAqBEVO3CC0RUvWXPrgxcypdJz11X_me-IysmmUx_U4SypfoL7EPBOdPjhJ83vvMJcwaadsML3McJUcpWmyDyHoiyw_JFMAFOoJEwadNDP5f5K/s400/DSC_0662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124172640314066" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFOnl6e4byEcG_IzQm2QjFvBizRCrgcuzl1amMNYD3YuO3D47zbQ-3jMWidj4jipHrXosRHuIMPEP1JGYH3WqaxbCVR-CDlR8D_A_PG_1wF2EzCFJp4IGEsXrhb1RFlioXaut7ZyLEIin/s1600/DSC_0517.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFOnl6e4byEcG_IzQm2QjFvBizRCrgcuzl1amMNYD3YuO3D47zbQ-3jMWidj4jipHrXosRHuIMPEP1JGYH3WqaxbCVR-CDlR8D_A_PG_1wF2EzCFJp4IGEsXrhb1RFlioXaut7ZyLEIin/s400/DSC_0517.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124158924232482" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYx1MgphyphenhyphenztIgNXskRsYZv5kKzb0evFsJitmahuotgY_kPk-1o8XkPb8Wqt5hpGhD7Nyf0F68YJx1MaifhtTz0PAP46GQr4zxMYfdIbs03MV-X43apnFz_JBAaq_520CoFWgez4cWqdZA6/s1600/DSC_0511.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYx1MgphyphenhyphenztIgNXskRsYZv5kKzb0evFsJitmahuotgY_kPk-1o8XkPb8Wqt5hpGhD7Nyf0F68YJx1MaifhtTz0PAP46GQr4zxMYfdIbs03MV-X43apnFz_JBAaq_520CoFWgez4cWqdZA6/s400/DSC_0511.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124756981031362" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJZMEyJd_n76Lo0K0w4S_DYd57YKsc1Z0E-_RnyxTDkpaJR4joATih-JmRSpIk02OWuDJH_5sBNagK1Otq4n8HkupPXLn1e2AwWrI-70X0TgUVILZxjgPSq3vGqj-Ogul5Ce5Oj5YwJCr/s1600/DSC_0518.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJZMEyJd_n76Lo0K0w4S_DYd57YKsc1Z0E-_RnyxTDkpaJR4joATih-JmRSpIk02OWuDJH_5sBNagK1Otq4n8HkupPXLn1e2AwWrI-70X0TgUVILZxjgPSq3vGqj-Ogul5Ce5Oj5YwJCr/s400/DSC_0518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591124154443508402" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH8qNcJqjXxIJWYMcQ7whqb5nWXqgc6ZIuT05_AP8Y6MWcjkYxKLjpx-pR97_PXb7_WLZa0zxdQCXsh18VmSr0X-6YOHZkgPyVoKyByAUjasyYPhTAC3SyZTNHp541PwcHa42_xSLQmdY/s1600/DSC_0514.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH8qNcJqjXxIJWYMcQ7whqb5nWXqgc6ZIuT05_AP8Y6MWcjkYxKLjpx-pR97_PXb7_WLZa0zxdQCXsh18VmSr0X-6YOHZkgPyVoKyByAUjasyYPhTAC3SyZTNHp541PwcHa42_xSLQmdY/s400/DSC_0514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591126218494362530" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQViRSM5Gu0IY8ELjkHN6rPQttCjLuQSfsczb6gtjMJ7dBBZc60U83x9-y9FLvLO_KI4UpmPmFQgK7VhD4iamJrJ9cQf2TygI_7mPLUqKTinOax4c01k4IAiRYzeSTT-HfjtG_pPj9pt3b/s1600/DSC_0513.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQViRSM5Gu0IY8ELjkHN6rPQttCjLuQSfsczb6gtjMJ7dBBZc60U83x9-y9FLvLO_KI4UpmPmFQgK7VhD4iamJrJ9cQf2TygI_7mPLUqKTinOax4c01k4IAiRYzeSTT-HfjtG_pPj9pt3b/s400/DSC_0513.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591126214112784962" border="0" /></a><br />Next post: we're going to Crown King!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEEozhbX6lrFahrLM6qQllW2Vo3ODgVm2uQ9bJjITIJcikFa9jeRQKmAk3GFFCrHu1aH7_YSHUnlAYT41Ll4OCvx4Nf1-QieYDSgW0dvgRmoBPSh0w2R4aoqqyjBkma85bWWj6Ftq_TvT/s1600/DSC_0499.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEEozhbX6lrFahrLM6qQllW2Vo3ODgVm2uQ9bJjITIJcikFa9jeRQKmAk3GFFCrHu1aH7_YSHUnlAYT41Ll4OCvx4Nf1-QieYDSgW0dvgRmoBPSh0w2R4aoqqyjBkma85bWWj6Ftq_TvT/s400/DSC_0499.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591120756976351250" border="0" /></a>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-8929862526885104862011-03-25T22:08:00.008-04:002011-03-29T18:18:02.514-04:00Second home, first house<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Home, </span><em style="font-style: italic;">the spot</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> on </span><em style="font-style: italic;">earth supremely blessed</em><span style="font-style: italic;">, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">a dearer, sweeter </span><em style="font-style: italic;">spot</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> than all the rest."</span><br />~Robert Montgomery<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">John and I are in the process of buying our first house! We never thought we'd be able to buy at this point in our lives, but God has been very generous to us and provided more than we could have imagined. Our first home together was our sweet little one bedroom apartment in the upstairs of a very old house. Old houses come with their share of problems (crumbly plaster, leaky windows, attics inhabited by mice, bats, or- in our case- squirrels), but you really can't beat an old home in terms of <span style="font-style: italic;">character.</span><br /><br />So when we set out to hunt for our first house together, that's what we wanted: character.<br /><br />Okay that's not all we were looking for (first time buyers- we want it all, right?). Our wish list went a little something like this:<br /><br />First, we choose our neighbourhood. Being in ministry, we wanted to be very intentional about our location. We wanted to be in our church's "parish area" and close to the public school where we're involved in a mentoring program. We also really, really wanted to have a front porch. Friends of ours from seminary inspired us by having a big front porch and a wooden sign that reads:<br /><br /><a href="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.125726553.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 518px; height: 91px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.125726553.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>How great is that? And it works too. People sit on their porch. So we thought, if you really want to be known in your neighbourhood, a front porch is the way to go.<br /><br />So we were looking for an old house with that wonderful and intangible quality of <span style="font-style: italic;">character</span> and a big front porch.<br /><br />We wanted 3+ beds and 1.5+ baths, a backyard, and a garage would be really super nice too. All pretty doable, right?<br /><br />Well as it turns out, when you're looking for an old house it helps to be handy and have some serious DIY skills. Which we do not. The handiest thing we've ever done together was in 2008 when we mounted a wine glass rack under our kitchen cabinets.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gpF-h0qmXPzBZdfNcaCVBCDHuNVIRIL_SDT4tKme7ce1Z3dFku1Ny3UFGb2YAgiAgcfUd4-wON4JAeSqvkxk2ni5DU41KU1LsNggHvYFUIiGvxvpNNmDsAK0N5EwDWiY7Mt64bbUnppf/s1600/100_0848.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gpF-h0qmXPzBZdfNcaCVBCDHuNVIRIL_SDT4tKme7ce1Z3dFku1Ny3UFGb2YAgiAgcfUd4-wON4JAeSqvkxk2ni5DU41KU1LsNggHvYFUIiGvxvpNNmDsAK0N5EwDWiY7Mt64bbUnppf/s320/100_0848.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588211983871253938" border="0" /></a><br />And even then it took us a good 20 minutes to figure out the drill bits.<br /><br />Alright so now we want an old house, <span style="font-style: italic;">character</span>, back yard, garage, very specific location, front porch, 3 bed, 1.5+ bath, needs minimal work.<br /><br />Thankfully our dear friend and realtor Paul was beyond patient as we searched. As it turned out, there were exactly two houses which fit our criteria. When I saw the first one, I fell in love. It was perfect. Beyond perfect. The house God had planned for us all along.<br /><br />Except it sold without us.<br /><br />Then there was much weeping. Followed by rallying. Covered in prayer. Nothing like loosing your dream house to make you realize that you are not in control of your life. What's that verse again? "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps" (Pr 16:9). Oh. Right.<br /><br />We continued on. When I saw the second house for the first time I went back and forth between, "Okay I think like this one!" and "No this isn't the one." Not exactly an amazing first impression.<br /><br />So back home we went, more praying, more feeling like we were <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> going to find a house. We were <span style="font-style: italic;">destined</span> to hate our first home together. To <span style="font-style: italic;">settle</span> for something we didn't even want. Heaven forbid! Just when you think you're maturing, the inner whiner comes out.<br /><br />But Paul graciously encouraged us. "I think the second house was a good one. Let's go back and see it again." Alright. We'll look. Just to see.<br /><br />And see we did. On second inspection, we realized this was just the house for us. 110 years old, front porch, back yard, garage, right neighbourhood, loads of <span style="font-style: italic;">character</span>, and great condition.<br /><br />If you've read this far you deserve some pictures! If you've skipped my long story, there's no way for me to know, so here are the pictures anyway. :)<br /><br />Our first house! Lord willing, we will close on April 15.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tZA3G-oXbYEK5DBwkZb-txI-_YWmvan0mppStVsVW-pKIAp9p2x0iQJ4VJm0iITg6lOpflhNo-uJ_FeWTJgxrLyHKVoFslpI66AuPfrFPK00vbgfvtCVQUKtgjffedwEhcoOSiskFSyU/s1600/1house.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tZA3G-oXbYEK5DBwkZb-txI-_YWmvan0mppStVsVW-pKIAp9p2x0iQJ4VJm0iITg6lOpflhNo-uJ_FeWTJgxrLyHKVoFslpI66AuPfrFPK00vbgfvtCVQUKtgjffedwEhcoOSiskFSyU/s320/1house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588217922245931682" border="0" /></a>Come sit on our porch!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC02lOwERIch-TVoKiLV87Yf1yHmiEyFxJXbbRB-4yHzxGAoWh9lm02ynsrEZd2dzI4p6T-GUb1WhGPTZJdh0-z6VDP4gxxWc_uK-zNnq8yl4E51CUtDTRgn3QS2rWdbNZDVV1u9W9cApQ/s1600/DSC_0298_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC02lOwERIch-TVoKiLV87Yf1yHmiEyFxJXbbRB-4yHzxGAoWh9lm02ynsrEZd2dzI4p6T-GUb1WhGPTZJdh0-z6VDP4gxxWc_uK-zNnq8yl4E51CUtDTRgn3QS2rWdbNZDVV1u9W9cApQ/s320/DSC_0298_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588219933910351490" border="0" /></a>Living Room where we anticipate many cozy visits with friends!<br />We also anticipate ripping out that carpet to reveal wood floors underneath.<br />Front door goes into a small mud room and the to the porch.<br />Second door goes into a bedroom that we'll use as another living space.<br /><br /><br />Dining room with a built in (<span style="font-style: italic;">character!)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VtQdZ9eVa7jGAAT6hryuh8_WuA9o3-_z3cvn3BJPUvdl62YyQiiIzXkfPLJ_CYijE4IMNyNzDlakXKJASp4m16AWnSmyr3paibrYqIW_Sd9ZnD74IzbSZ2HheFiY_WmDaj9jgbBr1Ro9/s1600/DSC_0286.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 365px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VtQdZ9eVa7jGAAT6hryuh8_WuA9o3-_z3cvn3BJPUvdl62YyQiiIzXkfPLJ_CYijE4IMNyNzDlakXKJASp4m16AWnSmyr3paibrYqIW_Sd9ZnD74IzbSZ2HheFiY_WmDaj9jgbBr1Ro9/s320/DSC_0286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588219945135104338" border="0" /></a><br />Living room to the right and kitchen to the left.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcj3wppS4T3DFTG9bNkLBMBOMWPYb5Qh3i2XdoCyLtsXZCGQ850OqmSMpzH4XKxc57iC4fEIY8vzQzyg3_6lA4qyH_rBkw1un_SaaZ9kY4zTd6ujIFeNvQ_nVM6XQqzL-3JNwYGjOaiUM/s1600/DSC_0287.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcj3wppS4T3DFTG9bNkLBMBOMWPYb5Qh3i2XdoCyLtsXZCGQ850OqmSMpzH4XKxc57iC4fEIY8vzQzyg3_6lA4qyH_rBkw1un_SaaZ9kY4zTd6ujIFeNvQ_nVM6XQqzL-3JNwYGjOaiUM/s320/DSC_0287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588222180415290578" border="0" /></a>Pocket door! Perfect for shutting out loved ones.<br />Just kidding, but we'll see if we ever use this.<br />Gorgeous to look at at least!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHU4D1cv76Owq3t7D8joxmiXIIoL0q3NXTD1_owkprBuw7mmQ-WwNkb56b6pJ5ptsOqJO0tVLI-adicK9eE9eHOQIRan3IyMGAv3tp-64LHMw6oXTaSzZY2Bby8nTFhnTkowRQ0GFBFRB/s1600/DSC_0305_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHU4D1cv76Owq3t7D8joxmiXIIoL0q3NXTD1_owkprBuw7mmQ-WwNkb56b6pJ5ptsOqJO0tVLI-adicK9eE9eHOQIRan3IyMGAv3tp-64LHMw6oXTaSzZY2Bby8nTFhnTkowRQ0GFBFRB/s320/DSC_0305_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588219957195625570" border="0" /></a>Here's that <span style="font-style: italic;">character</span> we were after!<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4JMY5upESdG0bZhLl95LtXzlAGOKxGRecc1bz47mO7hH_fcPn6voqpZRqb72VW_8nURRU5zyCVMoMypn0-8dVQDPJU2WW1M5kUTgsyo977VhHsOG2J5B_S-Vfs-PjEylO66LOMaD3v3D/s1600/DSC_0278.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4JMY5upESdG0bZhLl95LtXzlAGOKxGRecc1bz47mO7hH_fcPn6voqpZRqb72VW_8nURRU5zyCVMoMypn0-8dVQDPJU2WW1M5kUTgsyo977VhHsOG2J5B_S-Vfs-PjEylO66LOMaD3v3D/s320/DSC_0278.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588219966994247938" border="0" /></a>Kitchen. Hello brown! Can't wait to get some paint on those cabinets.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg5drljlZ68cE6G1dakUc7HVtw7ZxgRJ8TwYVlGaqp7zc_9_ywXH9x_K6YdnT0MdpcislTe0nKVhhI0INCG4422EllTE0Hb1s0oVq_oHJxiwsnu99ziyj9B8_41MQN12_Yogp1aek4kFr/s1600/DSC_0285.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg5drljlZ68cE6G1dakUc7HVtw7ZxgRJ8TwYVlGaqp7zc_9_ywXH9x_K6YdnT0MdpcislTe0nKVhhI0INCG4422EllTE0Hb1s0oVq_oHJxiwsnu99ziyj9B8_41MQN12_Yogp1aek4kFr/s320/DSC_0285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588222173216583634" border="0" /></a>Stairs off of the dining room.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFySF0PHIeTd7LV42SA5RFiZo7DrLFlzfwRwefT-6cldB03XmUWdy2TK1dXrs9Wqtq7huegmsPI0C5YpzL9hUmHX2m3dMvUiu6yNAtBaokMgytLf-_qZ4wkQTnmDfmsgrle06akunDme-/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFySF0PHIeTd7LV42SA5RFiZo7DrLFlzfwRwefT-6cldB03XmUWdy2TK1dXrs9Wqtq7huegmsPI0C5YpzL9hUmHX2m3dMvUiu6yNAtBaokMgytLf-_qZ4wkQTnmDfmsgrle06akunDme-/s320/DSC_0313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588222187255227250" border="0" /></a>Upstairs hallway.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpg5X571STdJxZ_6ySPa7_GnxlijbEW5vpB-J_kpeviqDsroRoWuefN4Zq-zwNTNZK_54Wg45POJsrxgvghjeZWr3eNxAW143tNl40bkvinOSjk4zgIcdZFQecraETGcznUYFHtVQEsb7/s1600/DSC_0323.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpg5X571STdJxZ_6ySPa7_GnxlijbEW5vpB-J_kpeviqDsroRoWuefN4Zq-zwNTNZK_54Wg45POJsrxgvghjeZWr3eNxAW143tNl40bkvinOSjk4zgIcdZFQecraETGcznUYFHtVQEsb7/s320/DSC_0323.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588222195728577346" border="0" /></a>Upstairs bedroom- they all look pretty similar.<br /><br />And the bathrooms are pretty plain-jane so I'll wait to show you the "after" shots of those.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So that's the story of buying our first home. Three weeks until closing and 4 weeks until we move in. We hope and pray this house will be a hub for our ministry and a warm, welcoming space for all our friends and loved ones.<br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHU4D1cv76Owq3t7D8joxmiXIIoL0q3NXTD1_owkprBuw7mmQ-WwNkb56b6pJ5ptsOqJO0tVLI-adicK9eE9eHOQIRan3IyMGAv3tp-64LHMw6oXTaSzZY2Bby8nTFhnTkowRQ0GFBFRB/s1600/DSC_0305_2.JPG"><br /></a><br /></div></div>Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3262818991786204447.post-60294560946892636642011-03-25T21:29:00.005-04:002011-03-25T22:07:00.568-04:00The sacred and the ordinaryI am no spiritual giant.<br /><br />Which is why I take great comfort in knowing that though I plan the course of my life, the LORD determines my steps (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2016:9&version=NIV">Proverbs 16:9</a>). This blog is intended to be a story, a story of my very ordinary life and how (I hope) it interacts with God's sacred plan. At least, as far as I can tell from here.<br /><br />The title "Fields and Fine Linen" pulls two images from <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2031:10-31&version=NIV">Proverbs 31</a>, an allegory in which wisdom is portrayed as a noble wife. I want wisdom. I believe that we see the sacred blessing the ordinary when we see wisdom. Yes, sometimes God breaks into our world in extraordinary and miraculous ways, but most ordinarily God guides his children through wisdom.<br /><br />So this is my story, my ordinary life punctuated by whispers and prayers for great wisdom, for steadfast convictions and for that blessed, blessed assurance that my life is held by the sacred and will be used for the blessing of others.Jill - addingaburden.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03861977611723697967noreply@blogger.com0