Pages

Monday, October 4, 2010

My birthday & my house

Well, I'm 34 today.....woop woop!!!  I know, the year to party hearty!  It was fun, we did a mini Oktoberfest here with just a few friends.  No beer wench costumes were worn.  Perhaps next year... 

We did, however, have plenty of beer, brats, mustard, sauerkraut and apples.   YUM!  My husband even snuck home early from church (when I say early, really I mean that while I was blabbing to everyone and their brother he simply came home) and he made his own version of "death-by-chocolate" brownies which were very good!  We have been married 14 years and I don't remember him baking anything.  I was very impressed and it was so thoughtful, it really made my day.  My oldest child also sneakily made a bowl of JELLO for me, so sweet.

I don't think I've posted a thing about our recent trip with hehem NO KIDS to Hawaii...  Just bliss.  Well, not really totally bliss.  See, I have a gift, and that is with finding fault with pretty much everything.  It's not a gift really....well you get the point.  So there were a few "not perfect" things, however, what was lacking on this trip??  Complete lack of any work.  None.  No changing diapers, no runny noses, no cooking, no trying to figure out what to make for dinner, or lunch, or breakfast, no mailboxes, no laundry even...the most work I did was hanging up our wet beach towels on the line.  I enjoyed it, and I'm still enjoying it just remembering it.  I have wanted to go to Hawaii since I was 12 and now I have.  Of course I can't wait to take the kids there now...

Since I've been home the weather has been nasty cold and windy.  I'm still pretty miffed about our crappy weather "summer", but the house got painted in the end (hired a painter) and that was my main final "project" that had to be done.  I'd done all the canning, sauerkraut making and putting up of veggies I was going to do before we left and so now the chickens are enjoying what little remains of our garden.  Yesterday I buttoned up the yard as best as I could and cleaned out and re-organized the garage.  If I don't do the garage once every week or so it won't stay looking nice, but it really only gets done about once every 6 months and then a few pitching fits in between.  For now it looks BEAUTIFUL, as much as a garage can anyhow.

I decided I'd like to work one room at a time (again) and get rid of things (again) because when ever I do this I don't feel that urgent need for an addition to our 5 bedroom home.  It's very functional and I have friends who have far less and so I'm grateful for my wonderful finished home.  I just have to keep it tidy and purged in order to enjoy it (and use it) properly.  It's my business office our schoolroom our sleeping quarters our kitchen, living, dining, running, playing, milling, cheese making, bread baking, canning, piano playing, movie watching, dancing, art work making, scrapbooking, sewing, papa's working, dressing, storing, and-so-much-more space.  This is magnified with the cold weather keeping children indoors.  It's amazing all that you do in a home and all the crap...err, stuff you need....err, want for all of that.  Thank you Lord for my home.  I love it and especially after having friends with much less and friends who have lost theirs to fire I am SO grateful for my wonderful very nice home.  I realize that God can easily test me and I could loose it all tomorrow.  I really hope I'm not up for that sort of test.  I'm grateful for what He's given me to take care of....my home, my family.  Hawaii is a great place to visit.......but there's no place like home.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice post, Anna. Wish we could have been at your OktoberFest! I need to purge my house too. Do you give it away? That's my hardest time...I want to get someting back out of it, so it sits around waiting to disappear. Now that we have the container, I suppose I could throw it in there until spring when we can have a "Save up for Hawaii" garage sale.

Does the thought really count when it comes to purging? ;-)

AKmamaOf7 said...

Grace, Yes I've started giving it away to the thrift store in Wasilla (the one I love). Or just throw stuff away. This summer when cleaning out the shed I posted a lot on craigslist and sold stuff that way 'cause it was bigger. I used to save it up to garage sale it, but I loathe the work of garage sales and signs, etc...so I donate stuff to church garage sales if it works out. I don't even want to wait for a reciept from the thrift place anymore. I tell myself that I have to pay a morgage to keep this stuff around and pay for it's square foot of space. It's not worth it and when I'm dreaming of adding another couple of rooms that will collect stuff, it's time to purge and re-organize.