A Place to Laugh, Chat and Follow Along As We Restore Our Old Home While Juggling Business and Family Fun
I asked him if it worked to sharpen scissors by cutting foil. 
Teenage Prince said he read or heard if you cut through 6 or 8 layers of aluminum foil, it would sharpen your scissors. I found the evidence that he checked that theory out. 
Recently we've had the fun experience of friends dropping by to eat with us...only I mean, they brought the food! The first couple made a gourmet meal of chicken Alfredo and Alfredo dipping sauce with salad. They had me on the first mention of the salad! The second set of friends said, "If we bring pizza, can we come over?" Well, of course!
...fluff the pillows and throws...
...hang the coats neatly in a row...
...and light the candles...absolutely don't forget to light the candles! 
It was a total blast of fun as we ate great food, with great friends and laughed and laughed around the table. Oh it feels so good to laugh! I love laughing and making memories with my family and friends. I remember my parents doing that. Their home was always open. They shared what they had. Don't you just absolutely love Friends. Like. That!
Our world is covered in a soft fresh blanket of white. School is cancelled. There is quietness; stillness. Little princess came down and sleepily said, "Is all of this snow going to flood? Or is it just me?" 
A few days ago I mentioned my contemplations about letting go of what is good to pursue what is best. It's kind of like a blanket of new fresh snow, one thought lands upon another and another until you see a new perspective. So yesterday and today I have thought about procrastination. Procrastination today robs tomorrow of its intended share of joy. 
Isn't this an awesome plant? 
She said, "I miss grandmother and granddaddy." 
Do you use your punch bowls? I use mine a lot. A friend didn't want the milk glass one shown in the photo above, so she gave it to me. I love it! And then I got 2 others a while ago for $2 and $3 when I was "thrifting". We love to entertain, so they come in handy for serving popcorn, or chips, lettuce salads, fluffy jello salads, peeled and sliced apples to dip in caramel and the list of uses goes on and on. You can use them for anything that you need to hold a large quantity. Of course I've used them to serve punch.
I've been tagged by Karla @ Ramblin' Roads to tell you several things about myself...here goes!
~5 things that are in my purse~
Well, the obvious lining
and zipper
wallet
ponytail holder
and a nickel
~5 things that are in my work room~
which work room?...kitchen?...sink
sewing room?...scissors or "zizzorz" as little Romantic Princess would say
laundry room?...sheets to wash
office?...computer and desk
~5 things that I've always wanted to do~
run a mini-marathon
finish the restoration of this old house...oh, will we ever be done?
plant a beautiful garden of flowers, herbs and veggies that encompasses the border of our lawn
ride a tandem bike cross country
visit Prince Edward Island
~5 things I'm into~
loving my husband and kids
figuring out ways to reuse things I already have
rescuing abandoned roadside treasures
designing and sewing
making my home into a haven, a place of peace and refuge
So there you have it! Just a few random tidbits of randomness...I think it must be good to contemplate these things occasionally and think about who I am and what I like or some such randomness...and I'm enjoying this word randomness right now, so...
Just have a wonderfully random day!
Love, Rachel
I saw this photo on the Internet. Doesn't it look dramatic?
Long may you wave!
It's been so cold here that the water froze inside our son's thermos! 
...how each day
...has a blessing
...if we choose to look for it?
I have proof! It's a balmy 47 degrees F...but that is downstairs.
By just going upstairs you can enjoy a true spring like atmosphere with the temps in the upper 60's. Outside...well it's like -13F or something like that. I'm so glad they closed school today.
So we layer our clothing, and if we sit we cover with one of these fluffy throws AND we continue to try to find ways to winterize this "drafty ole' mansion"...at least that's what George Bailey called his lovely home on "It's a Wonderful Life". And it is a wonderful life isn't it?
Are you kidding me? -4 degrees out there? It is 40 degrees warmer in Anchorage, Alaska! Mr. Romantic Porch checks Anchorage's temp daily...really. Only one time this winter that he knows of has it been colder there than here. Craziness! Why should I send my kids to school in this? Windchill of - 25! Wonder if the car will start?
Well, I suppose MY children need some grueling stories to tell THEIR children of how they went to school when it was this cold or something like that! Huh?
I've had these cut glass salt and pepper shakers for a long time. Since they aren't filled with the obvious use of salt and pepper, I thought they looked cute in this glass pedestal bowl. I've enjoyed the reflective quality of the glass.
The other day as I pondered this past year since I started my blog I wondered if it has any reflective qualities? You know all of the wonderful "rock star" blogs (as I call them) out there that have so many exciting things to offer. They are filled with a plethora of ideas and places to shop and things to do, awards to spread and fun filled stories of shopping adventures and daydream vacations! They are filled with tutorials for sewing and crafts or lists for living the perfect lifestyle. I just absolutely love them. There are adorable homes and delicious recipes all for your viewing with just the click of a mouse. Isn't is wonderful? Oh the places you can go and the things you can see all from the comforts of home!
God is faithful. We can always lean on him. He is faithful when we can't see it or feel it.I hope your day is wonderful and restful!
Love, Rachel
I can't resist preserving these memories. It seems like it was just yesterday that I saw tiny school buses and match box cars lined up like this. 
It's cold...15 degrees. Snowy. Dark before dawn. Too cold to take kids to school and do all the other things that have to be done today.
But I know that we have to have the cold before we have this...and we will have THIS. So I will focus on that today. 
Christmas is over! Do you have your decorations taken down and put away? Now I'm excitedly looking for Spring. I can tell it is staying daylight a tad bit longer each day. I learned to observe that fact from my mother. Today is her birthday. She is timeless in my mind, though she is gone from my physical presence. 
" We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
For the month of January, I am pleased to feature the porch of Carolyn's guest cottage. I have enjoyed her blog for quite some time now. 
She hails from Prince Edward Island. 
After visiting Martha's Vineyard several years ago, my hopes are now set on visiting Prince Edward Island someday. I suppose I visit there vicariously through Carolyn's blog. Carolyn thank you for your hospitality to us each time we visit your lovely home, cottage and garden. 
Carolyn writes, "Our little cottage has been used in the past as a little retreat for our children in summer and a garden storage shed in winter. However, when it was no longer in use in the summer I had some fun decorating it as the gardeners retreat in summer and the Christmas cottage in winter. On our garden tours it is very popular and has been photographed many times. 
I think it is a very romantic little hideaway!"
Do you have everything back in order from the holidays? 
Today is a new day. Many people view the new year as a chance to start over, to set new resolutions, to turn a page in their life experiences. 