done.

Did I mention that my husband is done with Nursing School?

Yeah, he is.

I'm really glad.

So is he.

This is us after his White Honors Ceremony. It's like a graduation, but just for Nurses.  They put little pins on the graduates and talk about caring, and compassion, and saving lives...Kev said his B.S. o'meter was going off through the whole thing.

That's what happens when you're a Male Nurse.

(At least he didn't have to wear white pants.)

noah 2.0

My Noah Bug is two years old!

Our neighborhood cake-maker-extraordinaire, Mariah, made him a Hungry Caterpillar cake, complete with "dirt" and "worms"...so cute!

We had a small birthday celebration with our neighbors and my mom. (I am realizing that I'm not a very good birthday party planner...)

Can't believe he's two.  Time for another.

Just kidding :)

thoughts on lent.

As I type this, I'm sitting by the window, looking out at late winter bleakness, cold lasting too long, a dreary blanket of colorlessness that hovers over my world. I can't help but think that Lent happens at this time of year for a very good reason. There is such a longing everywhere for the warmth of spring, for the smallest sign of new growth through the frozen sod, for resurrection. As soon as the sun appears, with it's frail, late winter warmth, I find a reason to go outside and feel it's warmth on my skin, making me feel alive again.

In these days leading up to the season of new life, feeling the cold hardness of the ground of my own soul makes me long for the miracle of dormant seed springing to new life. I long to see the treasure in my jar of clay that really has nothing to do with me, but with the gracious gift given to me though the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Last Sunday's sermon was on Peter, his denial and redemption. The thing that amazed me most was the way that Jesus came to find Peter, who had gone back to fishing because he didn't know what else to do. Their meeting on the beach in John 21 ends with this beautiful conversation:

"Peter, do you love me with unconditional love...the way I love you?"

"Lord, you know I love you the best I can, I love you as a dear friend."

"Peter, do you love me with unconditional love...like I love you?"

"Lord, you know I love you as a dear friend, like a brother."

"Peter do you love me like a dear friend, like a brother?"

"Lord, you know everything, you know I do."

And then, Jesus reveals to Peter the way that he will die for him, revealing that Peter really does love him with unconditional love even though his weak heart doesn't know it. He who knows the end from the beginning sees the Seed of Love planted in this man called The Rock.

Jesus sees in us the Seeds of Love. When we acknowledge our own weakness and inability to love him, he meets us there and speaks prophetically to our weak hearts:

"Child, you WILL love me with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. You WILL love me with the kind of love I have shown to you. You WILL lay down your life for me, as I have done for you."

open shelving

There is a wall opposite the sink in my kitchen that is very bare, and since I'm not the best at decorating, I am of the opinion that it should be put to good use. I have wanted to put open shelves on it almost since we moved in 5 years ago. I love the way open shelves look, especially with shiny glass jars and vintage ironstone mixing bowls and kitchen utensils (that are always clean and never dusty, right?)

I've posted this picture before, but I must do it again because...well, it's amazing, and over the top...and right on topic.

Can you imagine keeping all those dishes clean? This is EPIC open shelving!

This is the wall where I want to put shelves...on either side of the window. This photo was taken when we (our friends) were ripping out a faux brick wall out (while I documented and supervised) before we moved in. Sorry, I don't have a current photo. I'll work on that.

Isn't lathe and plaster cool looking? It's a royal pain in the arse to work with, but it looks neat-o.

I've been pestering my poor husband about putting up some open shelving in our kitchen for a while now...like he doesn't have enough on his plate. So, the other day, he was sweet enough to ask a good friend to make some shelving for me, since he is up to his eyeballs in his last semester of nursing school.

I found a few pictures last year on the internet for inspiration. The first photo is my favorite. I love how utilitarian the shelves and brackets are...they look like they would fit perfectly in a farmhouse. Another reason I like this photo is that I've started collecting Le Parfait canning jars and love how they are being used for storing food goods. I'm up to three :)

I also love the vintage mixing bowls...I hope to have some before I die.

I'm not even going to address the amazing breadboard countertop and vintage kitchen appliances...Focus, Jen...FOCUS.

Moving on.

In my dream kitchen I will have beautiful windows over the sink, so I can watch my boys playing together quietly in the lush, shady yard, and survey my thriving garden (hey, I did say dream didn't I?)

At the moment, while I wash my dishes, I have a lovely view of my dusty open shelves holding my equally dusty dishes and my unfinished cupboards with their peeling paint.

But at least it looks better than when we moved in...

Yikes. I've only just started allowing red back in my house...

I believe this second picture is a kitchen designed by Molly Frey. This is how I want the shelving to flank my window on either side. Isn't the light in this kitchen just lovely? It makes me think that I might actually enjoy doing dishes at that farmhouse sink...

This third picture, I think I liked because of the decorative brackets. They add a great flair, especially paired with the light green shelving. The look is more eclectic than the first two photos, and I like it.
I will make an attempt to get a current before shot of the wall, and update as things progress. It may not happen until this summer, but the prospect got me excited enough to blog about it.

eli is three!

Despite my best efforts, Eli's birthday caught me unprepared once again this year...I think it always will mostly because it's three days after Christmas. I had plans to have a big Thomas birthday party for him, but it just did not happen.

Fortunately our lovely friend neighbor/babysitter/aspiring-cake-maker, Mariah, offered to make him a Thomas cake, which I happily agreed to...she saved the day!

It turned out really cute and Eli was VERY excited about it.

We had a few good friends over, as well as Mr. Gardner's mom and stepdad, who had been here for the holidays. Elijah very much enjoyed being the center of attention, which is rare indeed for the 2nd of three little boys.

Happy third birthday Eli Superhero...mommy loves you!

hoildays.

Due to the busyness of the holidays, I am just now getting around to posting our Christmas pictures. We had a wonderful day, filled with joy, family, presents, friends and food.

We started the morning by reading the Christmas Story, a family tradition in my home for as long as I can remember. The boys were surprisingly attentive.
Then it was on to present opening...

And then a midmorning brunch at our dear friends' house, complete with mimosas, eggs benedict, and homemade cinnamon rolls...I'm still paying for that day's culinary delights. It was a wonderful way to spend the day!

handmade ornaments.

I have been inspired to have a handmade/repurposed Christmas this year. I'm really trying to make things instead of buying them and I'm finding that there is a great deal of satisfaction in doing so. I've been crafting and making gifts late into the night with a dear friend, the enjoyment of crafting made even better by good company, meaningful conversation, and hot tea.

In keeping with the handmade theme of this Christmas I have been making some handmade ornaments most of which have been inspired by this post. This is my simplified version of her Book Page Bird Ornament. I simplified it because I didn't have some of the supplies she used. I also don't have a lot of patience...

My first step was to pester Mr. Gardner about letting me cut up one of his old books {this is tantamount to asking him if I could cut up one of his children}. After some deliberation, he said I could have this book that he had only bought because it was old (circa 1936) which he said he would never read. As you can see the pages are beautifully aged.

Using the bird template from the previously mentioned blog post, I began tracing and cutting. I did have to make my own wing template because there was not one provided. Fortunately, they turned out looking fairly anatomically correct.

Then I distressed the edges with an ink pad and glued the wing to the bird with my son's glue stick :)
Next, I flipped the whole bird over and stuck a cheap ornament hook through the paper. I had to experiment a little with placement so that the bird was not bottom heavy...that wouldn't fly {pun intended}...
Once I had the placement right, I used another wing template and glued it onto that side, matching it up with the wing on the other side.

Done!

I'm afraid we don't have a Christmas tree to model it on....I'll post a picture of our tree when it's up.
Aren't they sweet? They won't last long in this house...