Progress Report
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May 18, 2010 - Just wanted to document our progress on the bathroom refresh before we moved on to the other house projects.It is amazing what a little drywall, a coat of paint and a new fixture can do for a tiny bathroom. The boys have been working very hard on its completion and are about ready to move on to the hall and stairwell.
Hard to believe that its the same space.
Ordinary Time
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June 15, 2010 - With the passing of this Sunday we have entered into the Ordinary Time of the Church Calendar. Its a great reminder that so much of our life is filled with ordinary things like going to work, bathing the kids, cooking or hanging drywall. Salvation can be found in all of them.And so can teaching moments as with the little bathroom makeover we are working on. The oldest, being home from school, are being put to work on numerous ordinary projects and given the rare opportunity to patch a hole in the wall where a medicine cabinet once was gave me the chance to give them a lesson in manliness.
They passed with flying colors.
Nice to Eat You
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June 14, 2010 - Yesterday we began to document our whirlwind weekend with the minor-league baseball game that we attended. The weekend also brought a trip to Grandma and Grandpa and the Science Center and Zoo that is one of the treasures of their little town.One of the highlights of the zoo was to visit the tigers which made such a fuss over the girls. He stalked them as they made their way past the fence (which I prayed held fast) to the glassed in viewing area. The zookeeper said that he just wanted to play, but I got the impression that 5 young kids would have been his best meal of the week.
Third Base Line
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June 12, 2010 - Our family has enjoyed for many years now an outing that one of our clients has for his company every year. The owner has been so generous as to invite us from year to year and the kids look forward to it as do Mom and Dad.We are treated to a whole spread of pizza, hot dogs, chips, pop-corn, drinks, beer and ice cream. Not to mention the fact that we have a reserved section down in foul territory of the third base line. We are experienced enough by now to know to watch out for in-coming foul balls when left handed batters are up to the plate and have walked away, not only unharmed, but with a baseball or two as a souvenir of the nights game.
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June 09, 2010 - We started the occasional On The Radar series Our Detail, In Detail back on March 28 and now submit our second installment for your pleasure.This specimen is commonly known as the Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum and is responsible for greeting our guests as they come up the front walk to our house this time of the year. It has been greatly enhanced by the garden we planted earlier this summer and has benifited by some new soil and moisture saving ground cover which the kids have prepared the beds with.
Proof, yet again, that God's a Genius.
Sisters
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June 08, 2010 - There are many things about growing up in a large family that have distinct advantage. Usually having someone around to play with is certainly one of them.This past weekend was particularly warm and whenever you can turn an old pop-up umbrella into a parasol to keep the sun off of your shoulders its a good thing. Even better when you have someone to share it with.
VMD and TMD are three years apart. We hope they remember times like these.
Simple Pleasures
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June 07, 2010 - The writers at OTR were reminded the other day by a family member about the simple pleasures of life. This nephew/cousin had posted on his Facebook page how he had received a new pillow as an early birthday present and how happy it had made him.If this blog is about nothing else its about Simple Pleasures. They are something to embrace because they can be experienced most everyday and at unexpected moments.
Tonight we celebrate our newly planted old mailbox. Gently re-shapen by IMD (who, by-the-way, can fix anything), repainted by the very creative NLD and a new hole dug with a lot of sweat by JED.
Doesn't get a lot simpler than that.
Catching Up
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June 06, 2010 - Lest I get too far behind the Princess bride who has been very, very busy knitting some really beautiful things.This little sweater was knitted and photographed about the same time All Buttoned Up was produced and has been on the look-out for the perfect home.
OTR presents the World Premier of Lil' Cream Cardigan Sweater with Dainty Buttons.
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June 03, 2010 - The frequent visitor to OTR may have read a time or two about our hunting expeditions. This same visitor could possibly have noted also that we thus far seemed to have a good time, witnessed by the fact that we still talk about it. It may also become apparent that they have not yet seen any images of dead critters of any sort.Our Memorial Day crow hunt was nothing to crow about but I'm happy to report that the usual hunting party expanded by one as JED who is home on summer break joined us for the morning.
We finished off the morning by tossing off the better part of a case of sporting clays, a few of which were hit. The crows will just have to wait till our next outing in July.
From Pink to Blue
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June 01, 2010 - When you move From Pink to Blue not only do you have a new teacher, but your recital goes from studio to stage.All of the fears and butterflies that had been felt throughout the weeks leading up to the event seemed to vanish when the lights came up and the action started.
For us in the audience it all ended too soon. Exit, stage left!