love.

{a favorite in our heart rock collection}

Have a beautiful day with those you love.

Blessings, Tami

light

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:

he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
John 8:12 (KJV)

 

Have a blessed 4th Sunday of Advent,

Tami

Merry & Bright

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to all !
I wish you a truly blessed holiday.
We will be spending the next 3 days with family and friends. Nearly everything is done. A little baking and some last minute details, then I can breathe.
Joy and Peace, Tami

tradition

 

We took our annual Christmas picture yesterday. The kids have gotten so good at it over the years. Three minutes and we're done. They love taking the silly picture at the end. This is the best silly one yet.

I love Christmas traditions.

 

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

AMEN

Simple Mom posted this article today in her weekend links. It is written by The New West blog. I love it when others are able to express so beautifully thoughts I just cannot articulate.

My favorite part is:

"We might often feel that the secularization of our favorite holiday has deprived it of all meaning. But on the contrary, Christmas is the time when many who would qualify themselves as ‘non-believers,’ feel a stirring of the spirit that leads them seeking. If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we should celebrate any element of the season that urges people toward the holy.  It may start with the mall or the Hallmark channel, but it often lands them in church. I’ll take it."

Oh and this part too:

"Speaking of shopping–if you are bothered by all the secular expressions posted around malls and big box stores this season, might i gently suggest that you spend less of your Christmas season at the freakin mall? If you don’t like the signage, spend more time serving the poor, going to worship, getting out in nature, and spending time with the people you love. I’m pretty sure the birthday boy would be all for it."

Amen.

Have a truly blessed Sunday, Tami

magical

 

 

Have a blessed day, Tami

reality

I allow myself one holiday freak-out every Christmas season.

Consider this IT.

This is usually the culmination of the stress of holiday gift making and buying, and my house feeling about ready to burst at the seams.

Before I begin, let me make it clear. I love giving and receiving gifts, and I love Christmas.
Here it goes.

In preparing for the Christ child, I am also knee-deep in preparing my home to accommodate more stuff. Not by choice, but out of the realization that the way I want to celebrate Christmas does not line up with how most folks indeed celebrate - by giving a lot of stuff. So I go through the perfectly good stuff we already have, and decide what to get rid of to make room for the new stuff we don't need.
Really, I am not the Grinch. I just wish that there was a way to convince more of our family to exchange gifts that don't require consumerism to run rampant. And remember that I am ranting here, I have actually tried SOOOO many different ways of changing their minds. Out of my control.

Did anybody read this blog post by the Nester a few months ago ? Hello, my name is Tami, and I am a stuff manager. Sad.
It hit home and made me really sad. But in this situation and in most situations, I feel like it is out of my control. Too big of a tradition to change, in our family anyway. So, I continue purging my house that is already small by most standards. For a lady, that leans towards minimalism anyway, Christmas nearly puts me over the edge.

Once this freak-out is out of my system, I will carry on. I will watch Christmas movies, and light Advent candles, and bake cookies, and I will even buy my kids things they don't need, and I will remember the reason for the season, for it is certainly not to make me insane.

Have a peaceful day, Tami

this & that

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love those 4 day weekends. No Black Friday shopping for us, just lots of down time together. We did sneak in one tiny trip the Home Depot to get paint for our living room. We got the room painted just time to put up our Christmas tree. Everything looks lovely and fresh.

Rafe and Anya taking their First Communion a few weeks ago. They are getting so big .

 

 

Some very excited chickens digging around in the freshly laid leaves. They are going to make some great compost out of this big pile. Chickens are such great recyclers.

I will readily confess that I avoid canning during the summer. Heating up an already hot kitchen is not a favorite summer activity. I froze most of the berries and rhubarb we picked. Last week, I got around to making strawberry-rhubarb jam. It is yummy.

Otherwise, I am super busy making Christmas gifts and getting used to my new working status. It's all going very well. I am just about done with Christmas shopping and prep, aside from the baking we'll do when the kids are on Christmas break. I can't wait.

Have a blessed day, Tami

hundred dollar holiday?

Last summer I read a book called, "Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas" by Bill McKibben. I knew if I were to put any of his ideas into practice, I would have to read it and plan long before the holiday season actually hit.
When Eric sees me reading books like this he runs the other way, figuring that I am concocting all sorts of ideas that involve total gift deprivation. How can we spend only a $100.00 !!!! It would totally ruin Christmas for everybody, is what I hear.
Honestly, I have a large family, and while I don't think we can meet the $100.00 goal, my family can take some very important lessons away from this book.
Changes like this, when incremented slowly, seem to weave themselves into our traditions in a more gentle manner. This is how most of the successful changes happen in my family. I am the only one that likes to jump right in. If I am patient, and go slow, everybody comes around.
I really like the idea of giving of our time and talents. Each one of us can bless our loved ones in this way. The gift of time is so precious. Getting creative with a handmade coupon or certificate makes it even more special.
We love to make gifts. I am thinking that my kids can make gifts for one another. We usually let them spend $10.00 to buy gifts for each other, and that adds up. With a little forethought, I bet we can come up with great ideas.
We participate in 2 gift exchanges at Christmas. This year I am putting together breakfast baskets. Homemade granola, quick breads, teas, personalized mugs, that sort of thing. I am spending about $10.00 per basket.
I have 7 nieces/nephews that we usually buy a small gift for. I end up spending about $50.00 total for them. I am thinking that this year I will take that money and buy something through the Heifer Int'l website on their behalf. I will still give them their Christmas chocolate bar, and enclose a little note about Heifer. They are all teenagers, and seriously.......do they really even appreciate a $5.00 gift card somewhere? A family in a third world country appreciates our gift much more. A flock of chicks only costs $20.00. I am doing this.
Bill McKibben quotes:

"I can remember almost every present that some one's made for me since we started doing these Hundred Dollar Holidays . . . . I have no idea what gifts came in all those great piles under the tree in previous years.  They didn't attach themselves to particular faces, particular memories.  So the point is not to stop giving; the point is to give things that matter.  (Bold type mine)  Give things that are rare--time, attention, memory, whimsy.  We run short on these things in our lives, even as we have an endless supply of software, hardware, ready-to-wear."

Well, I am giving it a try, in a gentle way. I am willing to bet that my family won't notice, much.
Maybe we spend a few hundred dollars. It's still less, and much more mindfully and creatively spent. That's the important part for me.

Have a blessed Tuesday, Tami

October

{Rafe's 9th Birthday}

October, you are almost done. You have been filled with lots of football and soccer, field trips and birthday parties, rain and cold, and the flu.
I am just now catching my breath.
No time for writing, and what little internet time I had, I spent doing family history research. That has uncovered so much really great information. Each branch of my family has uncovered some truly amazing people and stories.
My favorite would be Mark Twain. I find that connection so awesome. It is a closer relation than most that I found. It's really wonderful to have blood relatives that came over as colonists, but it was so long ago that it's hard to feel a connection.
I have solved a few family mysteries and uncovered a few very sad stories.
My research is slowing down for now, I have invested much time, and now need to get back to focusing on the family I have here and now. I has been a wild ride. I am sure that my research won't stop completely. There is a always information to be found.
I do have to say one thing. Genealogy research has kept me distracted enough that I didn't have such a hard adjustment to the kids going back to school. Maybe a planned distraction is what I need each new school year. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
October and November are birthday months for our kids. We are 1 down and 3 to go. I am ready with the gifts, now we just need to figure out a few friend get-togethers to celebrate.
I started wrapping Christmas gifts this past week. It always feels weird doing that in October. If I am not finished and wrapped by the end of November, I teeter on insanity during December. There is so much fun to be had with my kids, that honestly I don't want the added stress of shopping and wrapping. December for me is about music, gift crafting, baking, reading Christmas stories by the fire, snow (sometimes), and just being together. Keeping it simple.
I am 2/3 the way through book six of the Outlander series. That's the other thing that has been distracting me. Each book is about 1000 pages. It takes me a few weeks of reading here and there. Still, that is a lot of reading. More than I usually read for sure. I have book 7 on order, it should be her just in time.
Knitting gets put to the side when I read this much. I haven't the talent to do both. I did finish up a washcloth a few days ago, it will become a Christmas gift with a yummy bar of almond/oatmeal soap in a pretty little box. My raglan cardigan still needs the sleeve finished..........
I am off this morning to have breakfast with my mom and sister. It was my little sis' birthday yesterday. Maybe we'll wander around a bit, too. Coffee for sure.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

this & that

Okay, so I have tattoos.
4 over the span of 20 years. Eric has them too. We like them.
My newest was his 20th anniversary present to me.
Is that weird?
It doesn't seem weird to us.

I am still knee deep in geneology stuff.
Oh my goodness, is this a lot of work.
I bought 1 month of membership to Ancestry, and I am getting as much out of it as I can. I am extremely frugal, and it was hard to hand over the bucks for that. I also paid $20.00 for a copy of my great-grandmother's death certificate. I feel like it is my last hope in finding out who her parents were. I have exhausted all other (free) resources. I should be getting the certificate in the mail any day.
I have discovered that Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) is blood related. We share a  grandfather. Mark Twain's paternal grandfather (Samuel B. Clemens) is my 5 times great-grandfather.
I have relation to the Ingersoll family that came over on The Mayflower II in 1629.
Cool.
There is so much more too.
I am putting together a hardbound journal of sorts. I hand drew an ancestral fan chart that goes back 10 generations. I am also writing the individual lineages of some of the more historically notable lines.
Lots of work. But important work, for future generations.

The rain has come.
Talk to me in March when it stops. I actually missed it. Come March I will be so ready to dry out.
I picked most of the tomatoes and raspberries, everything else was done for the summer. Overall we had a great growing season.

We are deep in the fatigue of Fall sports. We actually had a night off last night. Nobody had to be anywhere. It was weird. And nice. I went to bed early.

That's about all.
I am staying home today and being cozy.

Have a blessed day, Tami

:twenty:

 

 

 

 

A few pictures of us over the years.

We look so young on our wedding day, and we were.

I was 21, and Eric was 25.

 

I am so glad that we went for it.

 

We knew each other 3 months when we became engaged.

We knew each other 8 months when we wed.

All we knew is that we were so in love, and nothing was going to change that.

 

And nothing has.

 

We have ridden each wave through this life of ours, and we are skilled now. We know that more waves will come. We will gladly ride the highs and lows accepting them, and growing even stronger for it.

 

"Marriage is choosing someone again and again

to love and to cherish with each new dawn."

- Anonymous  

Happy 20th Anniversary my love.

I am so glad that we have continued to choose each other over the years.

Always and Forever, Tami



:our week:

Wow, this has been a busy one.

We reconfigured the chicken garden.
It took all week. I am beat.

Redoing the chicken garden was a priority. We really needed to reclaim our back patio from the poo. It is now beautiful and clean, and ready for a party (and I am ready for a nap on our outdoor sofa).

I am proud to say that we spent a meager $15.00 to redo the chicken garden. We bought a wire panel for the fence and 3 post caps. All of the remaining materials and supplies were salvaged. I would really like to do a bit more planting in there, but for now they have a Rhody for shade and a little pear tree that will take awhile to mature.

I have a ton of photos to show and will do so as soon as Photoshop is back on my machine.
Oh yeah, we also had to reformat our computer this week........so no photo editing for me this week.

I have also been busy getting everything done for our big 20th anniversary party on Saturday.
We share this 20th anniversary year with my mom and step-dad, and my brother and his wife. We are having a triple-20 year party! Yay!

I will be back next week with photos of the gardens and the party.

Have a blessed Friday. Tami

July 4th

We went to the fire station this morning for their annual pancake breakfast. A short 10 minute walk for a pancake feast, and now we are home until we walk downtown to the parade at noon. Even though my heart yearns for a country life, this small town life is pretty close to perfect. We are within walking distance of  nearly everything we need. We are just a few blocks from our historic downtown area and that is pretty cool, in fact, we live in the first planned neighborhood in our town established in 1909. I love that.
We are heading to my sister's house in the country for a BBQ after the parade, and then we are home for fireworks when the sun goes down. It is going to be a wonderful day.
Have a blessed 4th ! Love, Tami

memorial weekend

Fun at the park. (with lots of friends)
Relaxing at home.
Summery outdoor meals.
Projects around the house.
Mostly sunny and warm, with a massive rain shower this morning.
Enjoying the slow pace of this last holiday weekend of the school year.
The kids have 18 school days left. I can't wait.

Hope that you are having a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!
Blessings, Tami

weekend

What a wonderful Mother's Day. So much love. (and food).
Enjoying lovely weather today.
My Yukon Gold potatoes are growing wonderfully in their barrel.
The chickens are so happy to be out in the sun.
I am buying tomato plants today! (a day after Mother's Day tradition)
Green beans and zucchini are going in.
Let's hope that the weather holds out. The sun has me motivated!

Have a blessed and sunny Monday. Tami

beautiful

Where do I begin about my weekend. I want to capture every bit of it, so that I never forget.

"God writes the gospel not in the bible alone,

but also in the trees and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

 Martin Luther

I live in a most beautiful place.
We are nestled near sleeping volcanoes, a glorious mountain range, quiet islands, evergreen forests, ocean beaches, rivers, lakes, a temperate rainforest, beautiful desert - all within this very state. Traveling a short while, we experience the glorious differences that only God could orchestrate together into such a compact space. This is what I love about living here in Washington State.

I was so blessed to be able to spend 3 days at a resort with a wonderful group of ladies from church.
I had no idea what to expect. I had never entertained the thought of going on retreat, it just never seemed like all of the effort to plan my absence was worth it, it was easier to stay home. Well, my children are older now, much more capable of helping take care of things. Alongside Eric, they cared for home beautifully.

A ferry ride and a bit of driving and we arrived on Friday afternoon. We had a very large meeting lodge that was full of cozy couches, tables & chairs, lots of warm coffee & tea, a beautiful view, and each other. Meals were served family style in another large lodge. This was no camp food. We were treated to real food. I think my favorite meal was the second night, when we had homemade bread with baked chicken, rosemary red potatoes, and steamed broccoli. YUM. Best of all no cooking or dishes for us! We were kept very well fed.

Each day we had 3 sessions. The theme of the weekend was kindling creativity and spirituality. It definitely stretched me to see creative ways to pray, and that we pray and worship in ways that we don't even realize. That our whole lives are prayer and worship if we see it that way. This is how I want to live for sure. I see that God being the original creator, that when I create, I am closer to Him.

"Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God."

 What a blessing to have that side of me encouraged and purposed. We did quite a lot of writing using prompts. One exercise I loved was using the alphabet to write a psalm. One exercise that was uncomfortable for most of us was reading our writings out loud and accepting praise from others. It is difficult to expose yourself that way for most of us. I am not a person that likes to have the spotlight on me or take credit for things. I prefer to work with a quiet spirit and know that God sees. Whether or not others see is secondary. It is nice to be appreciated though, that is for sure. I was not alone in this, most of the women at the retreat took a bit of coaxing to relax and come out of their shells. our teacher had a special verse that she had us sing over and over throughout the weekend, which worked because now I can't get it out of my head :~)

"I will believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is."

We have the hardest time believing the beautiful and the good about ourselves. God does not want this for us. We are created in his image, and He is good. A beautiful truth. Period.

I had an amazing weekend that has given me so many things to ponder. Here is a prayer that I thought was so beautiful.

"God of passionate life, who sends the sparks, who lights the inner blaze and tends the flame, fill us with your radiance. Enkindle us with your love. Touch us with your goodness so that we will be the kindling of your generous compassion. May the truth we seek and accept shine through all we are and do. God of compassionate life, stir up the embers of your joy. In Christ, Amen."

We had a small worship service Sunday morning and then it was time to head home.
My family was so gracious to manage schedules and keep our nest tidy while I was gone. It was such a blessing to come home to peace and sunshine. I am glad to be home.

Have a blessed day, Tami

weekend

{the leftovers from our massive pizza}

We had the most glorious sunny weekend. Spring has finally arrived here in the PNW.
I had a wonderful day on Friday, and as I requested, we ate at our favorite pizza place, Sorelli's. Next up was warmed peach pie with French vanilla ice cream for dessert.......Yum. Oh, and did I mention chocolate ?.....and lots of it. The good stuff.
We spent most of the weekend outdoors (hello baseball games). Sunday we welcomed family for Easter brunch. It is our tradition to host Easter each year. There is usually 20 or so including my parents, my brother and sister, and their families. The menu nearly always looks the same and is an indulgence. Sausage Breakfast Casserole, Cheesy Potatoes, Orange Rolls, Strawberry Romaine Salad, and my mom's famous Oatmeal Cake for dessert. Oh man, did we ever enjoy!

We spent a good amount of time in the yard on Sunday afternoon. I moved 3 small blueberry plants to this little garden. I am hoping that they like it better than being chomped on by hungry chickens :~)
My rhubarb is coming up nicely, and the snow peas are peeking out of the ground by the trellis. This little spot will be much prettier when it fills in.
The chicken garden is coming along, we are going to plant a semi-dwarf pear tree with 4 varieties grafted onto one tree. This will provide shade for them and fruit for us! Yes.
My kitchen garden will be quiet for several more weeks until the weather warms up. I can't wait. The only things that I have planted so far are Yukon Gold potatoes, lettuce, and snow peas.

Have a blessed Monday! Tami

forty-one

Forty-one.
I don't really feel one way or the other about it. I desire to grow older gracefully, not dwell on it. It's a moment in a blessed journey. I am content.

Today will be (and already has been) filled with hugs & kisses, well wishes, good chocolate, flowers, yummy food, a few special gifts, and fun times with friends and family. A perfect day.

Have a blessed day, Tami

{this moment}

Joining Amanda.