Simple touches

When I was getting married, a dear sister from the chapel threw me a bridal shower. It was beautiful.  She and her husband were well traveled and she served appetizers from all over Europe... ...and we happened to be going to Europe for our honeymoon so it was especially fitting. All of the glassware and the decorations and the music were so beautiful.  Her hospitality made an impression on me. . . .  When the Lord gave us a home of our own, I soon had the opportunity to throw bridal showers... I found myself feeling the need to do everything extravagently... And each time I hosted or planned a major event, I felt the need to outdo what I had done before... It became costly, and time consuming, and I actually got to the point where I just didn't enjoy it very much anymore. I realized all of the garlands and the tulle and the lights and the ivy weren't me.  It was time to find my style of hospitality. And so I did. . . .  I still like to put a little time and thought into special occasions. I've tried a few different things over the years. There are a couple that have "stuck".  I love candles. Candles say warmth and welcome... I am especially fond of clean-burning soy t-lite candles. There's nothing like having someone come into your home and extinguish your candles because they're getting headache.  (Yes, I've had that happen.) It's the simple touches that I've become characterized by.  I love decorations that aren't just pretty to look at, but are also meaningful. One of my very favorite things to do for a special occasion is to arrange an assortment of t-lite candles around framed Scripture.  

  Photography is a hobby of mine, so for years, when I'd find a really good deal on a cute frame, I'd buy it and tuck it into a bin in my garage.  I eventually accumulated quite a collection.  One evening I was having a group of ladies over and it occurred to me to decorate with Scripture...and since that time it has become sort of a "trademark" for me.  Since I already own the frames, printing the images at Sam's Club is practically free.  If the special occasion honors a certain person, I may ask them ahead of time for some of their favorite verses, and then arrange them (digital-scrap style) in frames in little corners around the room.  Here are a few of the ones that I designed for the shower.  

 I also have grown fond of designing candy wrappers.  For my nephew's graduation open-house, we wrapped mini-candy bars in wrappers printed with his childhood nicknames.  Considering the large group, I brought out the candy bar idea again.  (Remember...I'm not opposed to doing the same thing...yeah...)  

 They're kinda different.  I found scrapbook paper with a burlap pattern on it, grunged it up a bit, and used a stamp font.  They needed something more...and I thought of gluing a flower on them, but it just didn't fit with the rest of the theme.  So, I ended up tying each one with a piece of twine.  I'm going to arrange them in a chicken wire basket.  Very simple. These are the sorts of things you'll see if you ever come to a special gathering in my home.  I'm learning to simplify.  It's a work in progress.  But I'm really starting to learn that less is more.  Especially when the simple touches are meaningful and heartfelt. 

Spring break continues...

 Well, there are a lot of things I could be doing with this next hour or so that I have to spare... And blogging is probably not the most productive choice... But then again, I don't know if I'll have the time to blog again before the shower.  So . . . Spring break and plans for the wedding shower continue. It's been a great week.  It's going by really quickly.  We've been knocking off some projects here and there, and enjoying the rest of the time as a family.  The week has been a lot more relaxing than I thought it would be--yay for "keeping it simple"!  I'm doing another BBQ. Yeah, I know...  I could have been a little more creative with the menu. But I figured with 50 people on the guest list, dainty appetizers could get a little labor intensive. Not to mention--for a "his and hers" shower, I can't imagine the guys getting really excited over finger foods...  So, we spent last weekend butt pickin' again...  

 I bought somewhere just over 30 pounds of pork roast and our home was filled with the dreaded stench...er...aroma of pork roast once again.  I would have loved to have done it on the grill, but it takes a lot longer and would have been impractical to do the roasts one--or maybe 2--at a time.  So, I did them all at once on Sunday when at least I could be gone for half the day. We brined the roasts in the refrigerator overnight Saturday, and after we managed to break the meat drawer, we made a mental note that 30 pounds (4 pork shoulders) each in a 2 gallon bag of brining solution is maximum capacity for our refrigerator.   I wish I would have thought to take a picture! ... Oops. Thankfully, many hands make light work, and my family offered to help out:  

 Would you believe that my husband enjoys seasoning pork roasts?  (Wish I would have came across that information sooner!) Beth Marie sprinkled the roast with seasoning and Mike rubbed it in--they made an excellent butt rubbin' team:    

My freezer is once again full of pork:

...so I hope everyone comes hungry on Saturday... Cause I DON'T want left-overs!  

Good lunch spot:

 I had several errands to do in Rochester today, so after her appointment, I let Beth pick a place for lunch. She picked the Maid Rite Diner: 

We arrived the moment they opened for the day.

Cheese-rite and onion rings: 

Chicken leg kids meal:

Happy girl:

We like the Maid Rite Diner...  It's one of those places that takes you back to a simpler time.  The staff is really nice, and the owner usually comes out of the kitchen and makes conversation with the customers.  The food isn't exactly "healthy", but the portions are modest so you don't leave feeling over-stuffed.

For those of you in the Rochester area, did you know that all day Monday they have a free kids meal with the purchase of any adult meal at Made Rite?  Adult meals start around $5, so it's a good value for a lunch date with a kiddo!

Orthodontist visit

 We kicked off spring break at the Orthodontist again today where Beth was fitted for her new expander. 

After a series of pictures and x-rays in the room next door, they proceeded to place this device on her face:

You should have seen her Daddy's expression when he came home and she told him all about this strange thing that went in her ears and on her nose and in her mouth...  He looked at me and was like, "They really had to measure her nose?"  Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what this contraption was doing, but it looked just as strange in person as I'm sure it did in Mike's imagination... It looked like a chemistry lab in the room: 

They made impressions of her teeth with this strange pink goop that solidified in like 28 seconds...

And made a suction noise when they took it out.  :-) 

 This whole process is new to us.  Beth had a great time.  She has another appointment in a couple weeks when she'll come home with an expander which she'll wear for the next 9 months or so.  She's actually looking forward to it.   We'll see if her enthusiasm continues once she's worn it for a few weeks...

Garden Arch

 Seven years ago or so, I stumbled upon garden arches at Michael's Craft Store 

for    five...dollars...each.

$5??

So, I bought 3.  Two to use, and one for parts.

I love getting a good deal on something.

Even more, I love seeing the Lord use those things.

These arches have seen a lot of showers, weddings, and receptions in their lifetime...

Here's the arch on display for the first time:

(Wow, it's so weird to see white walls in my house!)

And here it is a year later at my niece's wedding:

Planning her wedding was my 2005 spring project... As I was looking for a picture of the arch, I got distracted looking at the pictures and remembering how much work that was!  :-) That will go down as one of the most challenging projects I've taken on, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. 

Wasn't she a beautiful bride?

She hand stitched this dress. She was the first of the Walters girls that "we" married off... About to marry off another one this spring. Sigh... Anyway... So, I'm planning this wedding shower for my dear niece Bethany and her soon-to-be husband Isaac.  They're simple...  Kind of "earthy"... So, I want the shower to reflect their simplicity. It's a "his and hers" shower, so I want it to be a mixture of rustic and elegant.. masculine and feminine... We'll see how I do.  :-)  The first project I took on was the old garden arch. I'm not so much into "garden green" anymore.  The colors for the shower will be muted, natural tones...so it was time to spray bomb a wedding arch.  My husband draped a couple of layers of plastic over our tables in the garage...  

 and I was in business.  It was messy...  

 ...and did you know that spray paint completely devours plastic?  Now you know.   Good thing my hubby had the good sense to double the plastic!  By the way, I've done a lot of spray bombing in the garage...and if you're looking for the all around perfect paint to keep on hand for those random urges to blast something, this is the one to get: 

 It is the most perfect ultra flat super-dark brown and it works wonders on anything metal. I always used to use satin paint.  Never again.  I am all for flat paint.  It hides flaws.  It dries in less than 15 minutes.  It holds up just fine to wear and tear.  And if you need to do touch-ups, you can spray a spot and never worry about lap marks.  Good paint.  Not only that, but there's something about flat paint that makes everything else stand out.  I use flat paint everywhere now--I won't go back.  Alrighty, so, time to assemble the newly painted arch: 

Thank you hubby!  I was so glad he was willing to put it all together.  I've assembled these arches a good many times over the years, but I "tweaked" my back a few weeks ago.  (Who am I kidding?  Tweaked is a polite way to say that I've been waddling around like a granny...)  I'm so grateful it's FINALLY improving.  (I was beginning to wonder if this shower was going to be even simpler than I'd planned!) 

And, fully assembled...the new brown arch:

  Decorating begins... 

The garlands went on amazingly quickly...

 

  But then, I had the brilliant idea to use fishnet instead of tulle around the arch... 

  ...and piecing that on did not go quickly.  Finished: 

 I'm always slow to decide if I like something or not...but I think I like it.  I'll decide for sure when it's placed over the punch table at the shower.  :-) So, if you're ever in need of wedding decorations...  I keep an entire wedding in my attic at all times... Seriously.

Resurrecting an old tradition

 In case you haven't already sorta figured this out from reading the blog... We Amundson's are creatures of habit. We're not opposed to doing the same thing...over and over again. If we find a shampoo or a deodorant that we like, it shall be our regular shampoo or deodorant until it is no longer manufactured.  We like familiar things...  If it works good, why change it? For many years, it was our weekly tradition to go to Valentino's for lunch on Wednesdays. Before Elizabeth was born, I think you could get a slice of pizza and a soda for $1.39.  After she was born, getting out to lunch with my husband was like a "sanity check" for me.  We continued the tradition until she was in about first grade, I suppose.  Then, there got to be more to do in school, and Mike started having more meetings at work, and somewhere along the line, the tradition died.  For a couple years, we rarely ever had lunch with Mike during the week. Lately, on occasion, we'll try to get school done in the morning on Wednesdays, and head to Rochester for lunch with Dad.    Valentino's has the most amazing bacon cheeseburger pizza by the way. 

Mmm.  My girl devouring some pizza: 

  My family: 

 Wow.  I am so blessed. I'm looking forward to many more years of traditions...new, old and otherwise, with these two.   To some, routine is boring.   But I think today's little traditions will be tomorrow's fond memories for Beth Marie.  :-) 

Signs of spring...

I've been intently watching... for Spring to arrive. It's not coming any too quickly this year. I love getting out in the yard and looking for those first signs of spring, don't you? So far, there haven't been many to report.  Of course, not all things that emerge from under the snow are good. We recently found that EVERY...SINGLE...ONE of our cherry bushes was devoured!  

 

Isn't that awful?  We weren't pleased... Hubby looks forward to harvesting the cherries each year.  It would appear that we shall have to start over with these.  'Tis a bummer, but they were overgrown and a bit of an eyesore anyway, so I'm thinking we'll be able to find a better location next time around.  It's been a really wet spring.  There's been a lot more standing water in the outlot behind our house this year.   This is the area that we've affectionately named "The Stormy Woods": 

You might think a swampy area behind the house is a bad thing, but to us, it's an adventure.  It's fun to explore and we enjoy the sound of the frogs at night. 

Speaking of frogs, this guy came around for a visit last year:

I'm thinking this year it should be especially fun to study the water under the microscope as we're doing a session on microscopic exploration in school.

We'll enjoy the water in the spring, and then when it dries out and the grasses grow tall in the summer, Mike usually mows a walking trail.  Last year, they named it "Cattail Trail" and even posted a sign.

And you know it's a sure sign that spring is around the corner when you see Pa's golf car come out of the shed.

Last weekend, Mike and Beth (and Gretchen) took it out to make sure it's ready for him when golfing seasion arrives. 

Yep, it works good, Pa!

  So, we'll keep you updated if any more signs of spring arrive in our yard.   We can all use a little spring, can't we?

It's...

It doesn't exactly feel like spring... ...and it sorta doesn't really feel like I'm "on break" either. More like:  Let's set the books aside this week so Mom can focus on the Wedding Shower I'm throwing next Saturday.  :-) This time of year always seems to bring a project or event into my life. Last year it was my nephew Sam's graduation open house... Which also involved taping, finishing and painting our garage... We had 200 people on a pouring-rainy day in early June. Yes...  Two. Hundred. People.  In the rain. Wow. Little wedding shower for 50 people shouldn't be too bad...I'm trying to keep it simple.  :-)   (This is not easy for me.) When planning big events, I like to work ahead as much as possible. I'll try to post some updates on my wedding shower projects as they come along.

Don't mess with the Queen!

 I came across this sign at Hobby Lobby:  

 

And I thought it was funny so I snapped a picture of it on my phone and sent it to my hubby. He responded with a smart remark something like, "That's because the king always has veto power".  Ha! Anyway, this whole thing started because of a video we watched recently.  I wanted to post it on my blog, but I can't figure out a way to link directly to it. It's really funny, and while the "Queen of the house" impression may not sit well at first, there's some valuable truth tucked in there as well. Just click on this link, and then double-click on the video called: The Princess and the Queen NOTE:  Don't click on the text, double-click on the image above the text, and then the video should pop up on your screen...

Mmm...

 If you haven't gone on down to Trader Joe's and bought yourself a nice bag of navel oranges...  

...then you are missing out!

They . are . SO . good.

We are on our third bag, and we've been devouring them. 

I devoured this one just a few minutes ago:

I rarely stop to take a picture of what I'm eating.  But my phone happened to be sitting right there.  What I really wish I could have captured was the amazing citrus smell that filled the kitchen when I peeled this orange.  And oranges are just one of the many good things that God has given us to enjoy...  Just look at the incredible detail in this orange:

Every one of those little buds is filled with sweet juice.  Have you ever picked one little bud out of your orange and popped it on your tongue?  Those little buds that all fit perfectly together in every wedge of your orange did not happen by chance.  They were perfectly designed by our Creator for us to enjoy.

He is so good.

I'm ready for ThUnDeR...

Tonight, I got to do something I've been wanting to do for a very . long . time . Mike and I attended a Skywarn storm spotter training session. I've been infatuated with thunderstorms for many years already.  As a child, I was extremely--irrationally--afraid of them.  When I was in elementary school, I was the last child on the bus when the tornado siren went off just as I was about to step out of the door.  Instead of letting me get out of the bus, the driver slammed the door and drove me back to the school.  How that was safer than letting me run the distance into my own house, I'll never know.  I could hear on her cb radio that there had been a tornado spotted north of Mazeppa, and I spent the next hour or so in a corner of the school wrestling room with my head tucked between my knees. My fear eventually developed into a fascination.  I am absolutely in awe of thunderstorms as they are one of the most tangible manifestiations of the power of our Creator.I had hoped to persuade my hubby to try it with me years ago... ...but he wasn't interested. He thought my thrill would pass, but it has only grown over the years as I've tucked away to watch storm chasing documentaries, and ordered various books and videos on the study of weather. My hubby and I share an appreciation for photography, and I even tried to use that to entice him into storm watching with me, but I still didn't have much luck... Until last summer... Last summer was a historic year for our state. Minnesota had more tornadoes than any other state last year! Finally, I realized I was taking the wrong approach with my husband... What is the one thing that my engineer-hubby can't resist? Numbers.  And even better--statistics of numbers.  Data.  Records and comparisons...you get the idea. So, I suggested that he use a patent award to invest in a weather station, and he liked the idea so much that he thinks he thought of it.  (shh...)  The device arrived in September: 

If you load Weather Underground for Oronoco, MN, you will see the current weather in our backyard, and you can view all the weather data since September.  Sweet.  Now he was starting to share my enthusiasm and our common interest grew. Tonight, we finally attended the Skywarn session, and he was eager to learn.  

It was a fairly large gathering of people at the Event Center in Rochester.  There were a lot of law enforcement professionals, firefighters, and even some local news media. 

It was a 2 hour presentation of severe weather information, and the second half had more specifics on storm spotting: 

He concluded the evening with a case study of the June 17 tornado outbreak in Southeast MN--the night we almost accidentally got our first tornado intercept driving through NW Rochester!  As best we could calculate, we were driving in the path of the tornado when it was on the ground--we had to have missed it by just minutes.  We had no clue...but thankfully, it didn't come as a surprise to our Heavenly Father and we were providentially protected.  Here is the tornado's path from that night: 

So, I consider tonight the beginning of a new adventure for Hubby and I.  I already have visions of spraying the old '97 Accord with Rhino Lining and plastering it with weather instruments and radio antennas and turning it into the Amundson portable weather station.  ;-)   But remember, I'm a visionary...   So, I'm just thankful that I finally got dear Hubby to go to a spotter training session.  :-) Now just bring on the thunderstorms...