Grey

Or is it...gray? The grammar experts tell me it's either.

It was while shopping for towels that I first realized I have a new obsession with the color grey. We were long overdue for some new master bath towels so I decided to stop into my favorite Homegoods store. For several minutes, I stood in the grey towel section choosing a small variety of towels...excited to get them home. As I was walking away I realized....my bathroom is not grey. It's tan and blue!

I blame it on feeling overly tired, all the time lately. That moment in Homegoods is when I realized I have a grey obsession, and I also have an obvious mental block as to which colors are actually in my home. And so I walked around our house taking a true inventory of my grey obsession.....

 The same day I towel shopped I also completed a couple of quick projects. One was purchasing {grey}scrapbook paper and putting them in white frames(no clue where we will hang them).

 I used the same {grey} paper to cover the letters above. After I applied the letters to the wall I stood back and once again realized....our kitchen is mostly tan/beige.

 The tiles sort of look grey, but in person they are all beige or tan.

 

 Most of the accents I have around are grey....bags, containers, etc.

 That same shopping day I found these {grey}rolls of wrapping paper. I had the idea that I will line the back of our china hutch with the paper. Thankfully, we had just painted our dining room grey.

Does grey match tan? It wouldn't be my first choice of colors to combine, but it's growing on me. Maybe grey is the new white?

Neighbors

 Over the weekend.....

Sometimes something happens in the course of my day and I think.....what in the world was that? {In a good way}. I just had one of those experiences and I can't stop thinking about it.

 

(a nest of baby rabbits live in here)

The details of finding and purchasing our current house....actually, the details of Greg being offered his current job.....were somewhat bizarre. And when I say bizarre I mean when I look back the details make me squint my eyes a little and say "hmmmm" to myself. On the days that I start questioning why we moved back home, or if we made the right decision I'm usually able to let those thoughts quickly go because of how it all happened. In my mind, the Lord guided us on a path and timed things in a way that I can only point back to Him.

So, with that in mind.....on one side of our home we have some lovely empty nesters. They are clearly in love, act younger than their age, and are friendly. Because Greg travels I am thankful that we are surrounded by neighbors who seem to be around a lot. Remember how I shared that our neighbors gazebo was ripped to shreds? Well, when I saw their grandkids playing on our swingset I ran out to chat with them(her) about the storm. Before I knew it, we were chatting about all sorts of things and she invited me to come look at her home.

Our conversation probably only lasted about 10 minutes....and, by the way, if your neighbor asks you to come inside and look at her house be sure to tell your family where you are going. I sort of disappeared which caused Greg and the boys to get a bit worried. Nice to know I was missed.
So, our conversation.... in the short time we chatted my dear neighbor shared things about her life, and brought up other specific random things that made my jaw drop. Why? Because they were words of encouragement about things she wouldn't have a clue I was struggling with could relate to. I don't want to say struggling because that really doesn't define it. It's too heavy of a word. Maybe heavily pondering is a better description.

 The things she shared about her life sounded so similar to some things I have been experiencing...or have experienced, or have thought about. It was like a 10 minute hug and an it's going to be ok. Definitely something I don't want to forget. It felt so intentional...as if the Lord orchestrated the whole thing.

Wow.

Just, wow. Oh, and her husband has a passion for Harley's. Just like Greg. Umm, that could mean trouble, but I'm not too worried.

Whole Lotta

 This is a post that may seem like a whole lotta nothing, but to me it's something.....

 What I've been thinking about lately.... Things I have a hard time putting into words. Ha. So why am I mentioning it? Because it's been all consuming these past few weeks and I feel like God has been showing me many things. {Does that sound like Christianese?} Anyway....He is pushing me through some hard stuff. I say pushing because I have to believe that He literally is pushing me and moving me forward. I've not shared what's been going on with anybody (but Greg) because it's been hard. Woah Nellie. Plus, I'm determined to not let it weigh me down or weaken me. That's when I realized that things feel different...I feel different. It's one of those deep and raw things.So I've been thinking about deep and raw things. :)

 What I have NOT been thinking about lately.......School stuff. For the first time ever-we have not done any schoolin' over the summer. We've just been reading fun books. I have no desire to organize our school stuff, and I don't want to research, purchase, or look at curriculum. I'm tired. I love having the boys home with me, I like homeschooling. I used to love it. I'm sort of blah about it at this moment. I'm sure I will get my mojo back...maybe. What I have realized more than ever is that I want homeschooling to be how we school...but not necessarily how we are defined. I feel like I've maybe kept myself in a homeschool box for awhile.

 Do we miss NJ?.......Yes. We miss so much about NJ....our friends, summer rugby, the things the boys were able to experience, living 17 miles from NYC....Every few days, the boys ask if we can go back to visit. Maybe what I'm missing is the adventure. Being in a fresh, new city with all it's new places, spaces, and faces. Don't get me wrong, I love our hometown and being near family & friends. I have a feeling if we still lived in NJ, I would be feeling homesick to move home. In fact, I know I would be homesick. It's just one of those things. 

(there was a quick and crazy wind storm last evening. See our neighbors gazebo in the background?....it was ripped to shreds in 5 minutes. I felt so bad for them)

What have I been reading?.....Hold Onto Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld. Such.a.good.book. I originally read it years ago. I picked it up the other day and opened it up to just the right paragraph. I'm now going to start over with highlighter in hand.
What have I been eating?.....ice cream-all kinds. Bowl next to me right now. Potato chips dipped in Greek yogurt. Pizza dipped in Blue Cheese and hot sauce. Those are all my go to yummies when Greg and the boys take off for some boy time.
What am I listening to right now?.....the neighbor mowing the lawn, the clink of a baseball bat.
What fun thing did I find this week?...Ulta's grey eye shadow and purple nail polish. I'm a mix of tom boy and girly girl. 
What was my scripture of the week?....psalm 94:18-19
   "When I said, “My foot is slipping", your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."     

Tis True

 (when I saw this on pinterest it brought back memories of a specific situation that happened when we were new to living in Canandaigua)

From experience, I find this statement so true. One thing about moving often-you are put in many "first" situations over and over. You meet a lot of new people.  Thankfully, so very thankfully....with each move we've met some wonderful people whom we've become friends with.  Ever so often there is that first impression, maybe a second, that goes wrong. You maybe tried too hard...or in various ways just were not yourself. You leave hitting yourself on the forehead thinking "why did I say that?" or act that way, or  _________(insert your own faux pax). On the flip side, sometimes you didn't say or do anything wrong. Not everyone is going to click. Regardless.....

When you meet someone new....remember that everyone has a story. Give people more than one chance. Don't judge or make up your mind about someone too quickly. You may be missing out on a really great friend.

Old Photos & Memories

My mom has a scrap book from her childhood....I just love going through it and reading all the notes, looking at the pictures, and then having her tell us stories associated with it all.

This last visit, I pulled the album out and snatched a few of my favorites.

This is a photo of my mom and her aunt Ann. Apparently, when my mom was 16 Auntie Ann took her to a dude ranch for the week (mom's dad was not happy). They had a great time. I loved how my 78 yr old mom remembered it like it was yesterday. She shared stories of the different people within the photo.

This announcement from the "new" Waring theater described it as having the only "cycloramic screne" (the spelling)

 I guess my mom suffered from severe cramps, too. She said she missed many days of school either because she had cramps or had to stay home and clean the house (such different days back then).

 

I also learned that she worked at the telephone company just so she could save up tuition to attend the University of Rochester. She managed to save a years tuition, but couldn't afford to go back after that one year. I believe she married my dad soon afterward.

 We also found this picture of my father. He was a talented basketball player, and after college continued to play while working at the RG&E. What was neat about this picture is that his teammate sitting next to him turned out to be the father of Greg's childhood best friend. Small world.

My parents, though their bodies show signs of aging, are filled with so many stories and memories that are fresh in their hearts.

Spontaneous Afternoon

There have been one too many rainy days lately. It was nice the first couple of days. We stayed home, drank hot drinks, and actually started painting the pink room. 

When a friend suggested we go to Seabreeze for the afternoon we were a bit hesitant thinking it would rain once again. I have a confession-we've never been to this popular local (15mins away) amusement park. I grew up going to Roseland, and never even went to Seabreeze as a child.

We decided to ignore the weather and head out late in the day.

 

The first ride got all the boys a bit dizzy. If you notice Ross in the 2 pictures....he's looking a bit stunned. We were a little worried, but he made it through the up and down ride. Never again.

 The boys went on this ride over and over and over......

 The Lazy Wave runner and the Big Wave were also hits. Despite the cool air, the boys spent most of their time in the water.

The boys ended the day with a quick spray race and a fluffy snake to take home. So glad our friends encouraged us to go.