Bookshelves!!!

It only took nine months!

(An appropriate time length, we think.)

What a labor of love! :)

Here's a pictorial overview...

And the end result (minus the leaf border above the fireplace and the doors on the two inside lower sections)...

I had soooo much fun putting all the books and things on the shelves. :)
WE LOVE IT!!!

It was a fabulous New England birthday vacation!

Jeff and I had an absolutely fantastic time in New England last week! The foliage wasn't too far along in Connecticut or the Boston area, but there was some. Later in the week when we drove back home through central and western Massachusetts, we saw much more. And the weather was gorgeous - except for one rainy day (which we spent at the JFK Museum outside Boston). It was great Jeff & Sylvie time. Every day we did something different and just really enjoyed ourselves! The Berkshires were probably my favorite... I think they'll be seeing more of us in the future!

Our first day was spent in Mystic, CT... What a beautiful and peaceful seaside town!

Here's what greeted me on the morning of my birthday! I love love love autumn leaves!

We spent my birthday in Boston... Our first stop: Harvard University.

Where Grandpa & Grandma Enlow were married! I forgot about that when I was there, but I had it somewhere in my mind that it was special in our family for some reason...

The day continued with a walk through Boston Common and Public Garden.

Birthday girl in Public Garden!

In honor of "Make Way for Ducklings"! :)

We enjoyed lunch in the Hub Pub as we walked through Boston on our way to Fanueil Hall & Quincy Market.

After a bit of shopping in Quincy Market, we had dinner at Durgin Park! It was soooo yum, and a delightful atmosphere. :)

My birthday bread pudding! Amazingly good. I left that place STUFFED.

Next day: Concord and Lexington. This shot is in Concord right on the edge of the village green.

What a STUD!!!

Walden Pond

 

In Sleepy Hollow Cemetery just outside Concord. I didn't realize it was a real place! It was gorgeous. I LOVE cemeteries. They're so peaceful and beautiful and .... sobering.

This shot was looking down the hill, at the edge of the gravesites, into the eerie-looking swamp. Really cool.

We drove by this gorgeous field on our way to Lexington. This was probably the best foliage we saw in eastern Mass... So beautiful, it almost hurts. That's the way it is for me, anyway! Fall foliage is just one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world to me.

The driveway bordering the field above. Just like a postcard! I love it.

On our way back home, we stopped at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge in the Berkshires. It was GORGEOUS there!!! Stockbridge is such a beautifully quaint little town; and I love Norman Rockwell, so visiting his museum was a treat.

This red building we were walking to, which was across the lawn from the museum, was his studio when he lived in Stockbridge. All the things inside were original - his chair, his pipe, his easels, etc etc... So neat!

We stopped in the Stockbridge General Store for some old-fashioned ice cream! I could just picture Norman stopping in for a cone too, getting ideas for his next painting.

Since Jeff and I are going to an Episcopal church now, this shot is kinda special to me. This beautiful old Episcopal church is on the main street in Stockbridge. (It smelled funny inside, though.)

Sidewalk in Stockbridge. I'm in love!

Halfway to 70?!

Eeeeeeek!!

Next Tuesday I will turn 35. THIRTY FIVE. I'm getting so oooooold.

To celebrate, Jeff and I are planning on a week in New England! I hope it actually happens... Jeff has some things going on at work that might prevent our trip from happening, but he thinks he should be able to get away. I LOVE New England, especially in the fall. There's something about autumn, the changing leaves, the crisp air, that speaks vitality to my soul. It doesn't matter that winter (which I don't love so much) is just around the corner. I love fall for its own sake. It's so refreshing! So going there for my birthday week with Jeff, my lover and my best friend, is going to be just wonderful. :) Even if I am going to come back home as a 35-year-old.

Elisabeth Elliot quote

One of my Facebook friends just posted this and I love it! Just had to share it here:

The will of God is always different from what [you] expect, always bigger, and, ultimately, infinitely more glorious than [your] wildest dreams. -Elisabeth Elliot

Just like a baby

Here are a few things I find myself saying to baby Kallie now and then...

"Just be patient, pumpkin... I'm almost done..."
"No, sweetie; that's not good for you to get into..."
"I know it's no fun, but I gotta do it... Just trust me..."
"Don't you worry... Nothing's gonna hurt you! I know it seems scary, but there's no need to be scared! I'm right here!"

And when I say these things to beautiful little Kallie girl, who sometimes fusses and looks up at me with weepy eyes, begging me to make things better, I can't help but realize that God must be saying those same things to me. I fuss and I cry and I flail my arms... and yet He's trying to tell me that He is in control, He knows best, and I have no need to fear because He won't let anything harm me.

That was difficult to write, because I'm going through some challenging things these days that make me feel like I'm being crushed unto death. But I was with a friend this week who reminded me about myrrh. It's bitter until it's crushed; then it emits a sweet aroma.

So I guess I should say, "Crush me, God. Though you slay me, yet will I trust you. You know what is best, you will not let any real harm come to me, and after this trial I will be a sweet aroma..." But please don't let this last much longer!

Gray's Life Day Party

What's a Life Day Party, you ask??

It's a celebration of the day (approximately) that someone was conceived - that is, received life! It's something the Granges and others that they know do... After all, Rob takes any and every opportunity to celebrate!!! :)

So they had a party for little Gray's life day last Saturday, and Jeff and I and Kallie and Leah went. It was the first time that Leah met Gray and that Mary met Kallie! It was weird to figure out how everyone related to everyone else... Let's see, Mary is Kallie's great aunt, Leah is Gray's cousin, Kallie is Gray's...... hmm... first cousin once removed I think! Right?

Mary had cut her hair, and since I'm growing mine out, we realized that our hair is about the same length now! Which is crazy, because for the last ten years or more, Mary's hair has always been really long, and mine has always been really short! Here we are... If you shrink me down a few inches to make up for the height difference, you'll see that our hair is about the same length...

I love my sister. :)

 Me with baby Gray! He was adorable in his little Mexicano hat!

Leah & Kallie

I am so enjoying having Leah & Kallie with us! Here's Kallie in her newly-set-up crib (it was quite the accomplishment putting that thing together!).
This is one of her understated smiles... There are times that she gets so excited she can hardly contain herself! She is just full of smiles and happiness - even when she first wakes up! (That mark on her forehead is actually a birthmark... No, she did not take a tumble!)
Sleepy girl. So sweet!
Kallie loves her mommy!
And she is actually wanting to walk already! She can't on her own, but she loves walking with someone's help! She can pull herself up to a standing position on her own. Such a strong little thing!
It's so neat... we are helping Leah & Kallie, but they are also such a wonderful blessing to this home. They bring with them lots of joy. We all love them! :)