{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 9, 2014

The pictures I took this week have all disappeared.  Poof.  Just like that. Into thin air.  Someday I will probably find them in some dark corner of my computer, but this week's {phfr} will be archival (in other words, fairly recent pictures but not from this actual week). 

{Pretty}

One of the ways I tried to keep February cheery was with fresh flowers.  These are just from the grocery store, but they can't help that, and besides, they are still pretty!

Flowers really do add color and vibrance to a room.  The difference is amazing.

{Happy}

One cold but sunny day when I came home from being out and about, I caught a fresh glimpse of our living room as I came through the front door.  I was struck by how comfortable and inviting it seemed, so I grabbed my camera and took some pictures.  I am always happy to come home!

The view from our front door, just as I left it before going out

We call the chair Earl Grey.  It was a gift from a parishioner whose husband died.  She was downsizing
and wanted to give her husband's favorite chair to the pastor (that's Dave!) who had helped
 him prepare for eternity.

{Funny}

We regularly chat with our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter via Skype.  (I love you, Skype!)  One Sunday evening, the conversation turned to music and Dave and I were persuaded to get out our flute and viola and play for Arane.  She was fascinated!  We thought it was a pretty amusing way to make music for each other!

You can see Arane on the computer screen, listening with rapt attention.

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr!}

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 2, 2014

Is it spring yet?  No, not here, as in most of the rest of the country.  I've just been informed that it's going to be a cold spring.  Gosh, I hope not, but I don't have very high hopes.  We had four inches of additional snow last night . . .

I'm not complaining, just stating the facts. ;-)

{Pretty}

We took a quick trip to Missouri to visit Dave's parents last week for a couple days.  They have had a challenging autumn and winter as far as health goes, and we wanted to check in and offer help.  Their house sits on some acreage with a pond, plus it was warmer there and sans snow, so we took the opportunity to wander through their woods.  Landscape without snow was a welcome sight!

There was skin of ice on the pond.

The house overlooks the pond.

This little screened-in porch is off Dave's folks' bedroom.  I love it!

{Happy}

On our way home we stopped at shop that carries antiques, seconds, and discounted items, and I got six new dishtowels at an excellent price.  Cheerful, thick, new dishtowels help brighten up the deary end of winter a little.  I got two each of three designs.

One towel was in the wash.

{Funny}

This little guy spent quite some time digging under our window for berries that had fallen in the snow.

{Real}

I know, I know, not another snow picture.  But just look at it!  

Taken from inside even though I understand it's bad form.

Our town normally has 23.5 inches of snow a year.  We are nearly double that now, and I don't think it's over yet.  I really try not to complain about the weather, but . . .

*~*~*Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr}!*~*~*

Wednesday with Words~ The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization

I'm joining Cindy at Ordo Amoris for her Wednesday with Words feature.  This is my first time, so I hope I'm doing it right!

We remember them [the Jews] for one thing alone, but it is the most important thing: the revelation of the one, holy, all-knowing, almighty, all-loving God.  Whether you believe it or not (and I do), it is a plain fact that this single revelation--with all the history in which it is embedded and by which it comes to light--has been the most important idea in the history of the world.  Secular historians today explain the past in terms of accidents: Who had steel?  Who bore which germs?  What wind blew which ships where?  Bit if you really ask how we got where we are today (and by "we" here, I mean almost everyone in the world), you inevitably return to the city walls of Ur, and Abraham's revelation from God.~ Anthony Esolen, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization

I'm enjoying this book because Prof. Esolen deals mainly with the Big Ideas of history and not so much the events, people, and dates.  Not that I don't love those too, but I have a pretty good grasp of the nuts and bolts already.  My weakest area is ancient history.  It all comes of being married to a classicist who is more than happy to tackle that part of our daughters' education, so dealing with the overarching themes and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome has been helpful to me.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ February 15, 2014

It's time for {phfr}!

{Pretty}

As in most of the rest of the country, winter in our neck of Illinois has been incredibly cold and snowy.  I took this picture through the window of our front door because I particularly liked the light.  It was probably something like -8 at the time, so there was no way I was going outside to do it!  (We have more snow now!)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One morning last week I randomly took an orange Fiestaware bowl out of the cupboard for my soft-boiled eggs and realized that it went perfectly with my likewise randomly chosen tea cup.  Even the eggs are color coordinated!  I thought it was very pretty!

{Happy}

Hannah celebrated her birthday on the 4th.  As I expected, she just wanted a quiet celebration at home.  So I made some of her favorites~ corned beef and blueberry pie~ and she opened her presents:  nine yards of Kona cotton for new curtains for her room and more crates to serve as bookshelves.  Lizzie and family sent her a book about the invention and history of paper . . . ironically in the Kindle edition!

Fabric makes this girl happy!

Using candles in a pie is not very practical, so Hannah just held them while Dave and I sang.

For more {phfr}, visit Leila and daughters at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ Feb. 1, 2014

Goodbye, January! Hello, February.  February is the time of year that is toughest for me, despite the two birthdays we celebrate this month.  Winter has grown old and spring seems so slow in coming.  I'm going to try to keep myself cheered up with little things I enjoy (like flowers from the grocery store, Jane Austen movies, and Ralph Vaughan Williams' music).

{Pretty}

Here's more Christmas show-and-tell.  Hannah made this quilted wall-hanging, which I admired and thought would go especially well over the bed in my bedroom.  So sneaky Elizabeth, Justin, and Dave bought from her (at a discount!) and gave it to me as a joint gift at Christmas.  As of this evening, that empty space is filled with something bright and a little bit quirky. :)

It was made from leftover scraps.  Even better!

I especially like the juxtaposition of pink and turquoise.  It's not a combination
 would have thought of, but it really works together!

{More Pretty}

When the sun shines through these patchwork curtains I made for the bathroom, I always think of stained-glass windows.

{Happy (and Pretty too!)}

The day Hannah took the Junior Classical League's National Etymology Exam, she was sicker than the proverbial dog, but she managed to pull out a bronze medal despite it.  We are proud of her for persevering and for doing so well!

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr}!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~~ January 25, 2014

Another week has gone past and it's time for {phfr}!

{Pretty}

In the bleak mid-winter, flowers from the grocery store can be such a pick-me-up!  These sit in a big mason jar on our kitchen table.

{Happy}

This is my next sewing project.  I'm not very accomplished, but I know more than I used to, and I do like sewing for my granddaughter.  Children's clothes are small enough that they don't overwhelm me.  The green fabric is for the dress and the blue is for the appliques.  I think I'll do the big polka dots.  I'm a sucker for polka dots!

{Funny}

Speaking of Arane, I/we video chat with her everyday.  For some reason, last Sunday evening we pulled out our instruments and played for her.  You can see her look of intense interest on the computer screen.  (Okay, so it's not that funny, but it's the best I could do this week.)

{Real}

This winter has been colder and snowier than any I can remember, even those from my childhood which have been exaggerated in my memory.  And here on the prairie the wind gets to sweeping down those plains with great ferocity!  Dave took this picture of blowing snow on a rural highway between our town and the next one down the road.

Don't worry~ he pulled over to take the picture.

This is our backyard taken from the warmth of the kitchen.  I wasn't crazy enough to go outside to take it.  See the swing?  Blowin' in the wind.

Visit Leila & Co. at Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr} fun!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ January 18, 2014

It's time for {phfr}!

{Pretty}

Lots of pretties this week, all Christmas presents from my lovely and talented daughters.

My firstborn, Elizabeth, has been teaching herself to sew, beginning with simple things at first, of course.  She made these pretty pillowcases for her dad and me~

She did a great job and I love the vintage print!  These were in our stockings (I think).  I love bed linens, table linens, kitchen linens, etc., etc., of any sort, and these are perfect!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As you already know if you've read my blog for very long, Hannah is very crafty and skilled at handcrafts.  She was practically born with a needle and a pair of scissors in her hands.  She had been working on the project you see below all autumn, but little did I know it was for me!  I had wished (even out loud) that it was for me, but Hannah assured me it wasn't.  So imagine my delight when I opened it on Christmas!

Hannah and I have both been learning Greek (from Dave :) ).  I think she had fun doing this in Greek, and we both enjoy the fact that we can translate it.  It's verse one from the prologue to John's Gospel and is one of my very favorite places in Scripture:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The walls are a soft yellow.  No matter what camera I use and
what the light is like, it never photographs as its true color.

Here's a close-up so you can see Hannah's perfect, tiny stitches!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lizzie, Justin, and Arane gave each of us (Dave, Hannah, and me) a mug along with homemade hot chocolate mix and chocolate-covered marshmallows.  So good, and the mugs are nice and big! They are too pretty to hide in a cabinet, so today Dave drilled holes for the hooks and we got them hung up.  They are so bright and cheery!

I don't know whose mug is whose . . . I, for one, can't decide which I like best.

{Happy}

This man makes me very happy~

So I think it's only fair that I try to make him happy with things like this~

Low-carb banana bread!

{Funny}

It's been snowing today like crazy (again!) and the clusters of berries on our bush are wearing tall, funny snowcaps~

{Real}

I have a new camera and I love it!  My in-laws very generously gave each of us some money for Christmas, and I used mine on a new camera.  My old one had five megapixels, which I didn't know what so pitiful until I began to look at new models and they all had sixteen or even twenty! And I got one for low light, too, since that seemed to be the cause of so many of my blurry pictures before.  I {real}-ly like my new camera!