Passover 2018

Our Passover Table for 4

We so LOVE celebrating the LORD's feasts!  I think it's mostly because the focus is on YHWH [God the Father] and Yahshua haMashiach [Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One].  Each of YHWH's Moedim [Appointed Times, Feasts] focuses on our Amazing and Awesome God; instructing us to humbly make sure our hearts & lives are clean & dedicated to Him -- to repent & obey His instruction, and celebrating His bountiful blessings -- the first being the love that YHWH has bestowed upon us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Yahshua our Saviour.

Although I love repeating myself, I won't go into every detail about Passover in this post.  Much of the basics are in my past PASSOVER POSTS.  119 Ministries has a very good series on Passover & Unleavened Bread.  Jews for Jesus also has a very good presentation/video called Christ in the Passover that has become a classic during this time of year, connecting the elements of a traditional Jewish Seder [i.e. "the telling"] with the message of Messiah's redemption.  There are literally hundreds of ways one can observe Passover as the Scriptures only give us a few guidelines, but of course, the most important thing is to focus on Yahshua our Messiah and the redemption He provided for us. 

With every passing year I/we continue to learn and grow and mature and change in light of what we learn and study in Scripture.  It was about 14 years ago when we really began to see the difference between His Ways vs. mans tradition, starting with our  holidays -- reevaluating the well-intended "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"; discovering that pretty much every element of our traditional holidays came from pagan practises; in other words, we were trying to honor God/Christ using very pagan practises and thinking God is pleased with this as long as we "Christianize" it and say, "That's not what it means to me".  Yet, GOD SPECIFICALLY SAID NOT TO DO THAT (Deut. 12:4,29-32; Matthew 15:3).  And although the pagan stuff is not what it means to you and me, it's surprising just how many, even in this 21st Century, mix the holy with the profane and know exactly what they are doing -- I was recently watching a travel show about how people celebrate various holidays and was shocked at just how many of our innocent traditions are used by the masses around the world, as they worship their false gods or the devil himself the same way we celebrate our "Christian holidays"; and they have been doing this for centuries, long before Christians adopted like or exact practises and gave them a Christian meaning.  That is to say, no, they didn't mimic our Christian holidays, we are mimicking their pagan practises!  YIKES!!  Even many American witches & satan worshipers marvel at what us believers do in the name of Christ (as they know these traditions are pagan), and I'm sure the devil laughs.

Anyway, this aha moment lead to many more aha moments as I held everything I thought I knew to be true to Scripture, as a Berean (Acts 17:11).

But I digress, so getting back to Passover...  

We have observed a traditional Passover Seder in some years; which is beautiful and so richly points to our Messiah; and some years we have had a rather minimalist approach, often due to illness or as in last year, my mother's recent passing.  This year, we took an in-between path, forgoing the lengthy traditional Seder, yet retaining, of course, the elements given in Scripture.  So here's a brief photo journal of our Passover 2018...

First, I clean!  (no photo, ha)   I try to remove all leavening agents from our house!  (Exodus 12:15,19; I Cor. 5:6-8)  Thankfully, I make nearly everything from scratch, so boxes of processed food with yeast of any kind are minimal here.  Honestly, I don't go crazy in this step, I remove the leaven, but not all grains & flour -- they are NOT leaven unless you buy the self-rising flour.  Yes, I clean the kitchen better than normal, but I don't follow what many Rabbis teach with their fences upon fences.  I load up a couple boxes of stuff and Jeff puts them in our sauna haus' changing room for the week.  (Sorry, I don't throw them away).  I really didn't miss any of it, except for the baking soda that I use in brushing my teeth (I still use my coconut & essential oil tooth suds - lest you think I don't brush my teeth for a week :)).   

My décor is minimal, but I included a red sash over our patio door reminding us of the blood that was sprinkled on the door posts. 

And Yahweh spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh's passover.  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the mighty one's of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am Yahweh.  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.  And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.  Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.  And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.  And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever.  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.  Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.  Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.  And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.  For Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.  And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.  And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which Yahweh will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?  That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. ~ Exodus 12: 1-27

~~~~~~ 

 The table was semi-dressed up, very similar to last year, with the addition of CHARGERS this year!  Woohoo!  I finally broke down and spent practically nothing with a coupon from Hobby Lobby.  They are kind of a light gold/silver, maybe a gliver (I just made that up).  At any rate, I think they make my everyday dishes look pretty dapper. :)

Anna placed our plague décor around the flower vase in the order of the plagues.

Hears a close-up for the plague décor.

(blood, frogs, gnats/lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness, death of firstborn)

I was excited to FINALLY find the stretchy frogs -- at a zoo gift shop for 37¢ each.  I would have liked to have kept all this out throughout the week of Unleavened Bread, but Amber's cat, Dorie, loves fuzzy balls and before you know it, she is playing with them and I just found one she had stashed away in the family room.

 My dinner menu is pretty much the same every Passover with of course, matzo, Bubbie's horseradish (for the bitter herbs), and organic grape juice.  Usually I fix lamb chops, but changed it up a little with the smoked leg of lamb.  Some have a conviction against having lamb at Passover, we don't.

I need to make a note to put in at least one leave into the table next year as it gets pretty crowded with food & dinnerware.

Passover 2018 Menu 

Smoked Leg of Lamb

Greek Salad

Marinated Feta Olives

Herb Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

Oven Roasted Carrots

Horseradish w/Lettuce for Bitter Herbs

Organic Grape Juice

Matzoh

Chocolate Toffee Matzoh Crunch

A plate full of yumminess!

If you have never had smoked leg of lamb, it tastes a lot like smoked ham, but much less fat.  I haven't eaten pork in 6+ years, but I buy a lamb or at least a half a lamb from my organic meat supplier/rancher every year and eat lamb all year round.  Our favorites are lamb chops, lamb steak, and smoked leg of lamb.  I think lamb is best served hot, or reheated, one never hears of cold lamb sandwiches -- it tastes kinda yucky cold.

Chocolate Toffee Matzoh Crunch is so seriously good!  As of this writing, we just finished off our  3rd pan full!  You can find my recipe HERE [scroll down at link].

It's really good to have a menu planned not only for Passover but for every day of Unleavened Bread as well, otherwise, at least for me, it's so easy to announce to the family that we are going to have sayyy "Pancakes" and get their taste buds all worked up for them, and then remember, oh, right, that has leaven in it.  Never Mind! 

Following dinner and putting away the food, we gathered in the family room and read Scripture about Passover with discussion, and continued to do so a couple of nights after.

Passover is just one night, one dinner really, and then starts the time of Unleavened Bread which lasts 7 days.  It is also the start of Counting the Omer for 50 days up to the day of Pentecost.  This is the flip thingy that I made for Counting the Omer.  My blog post about how to make this counter always becomes popular this time of year from visitors from Pinterest. :)  Here is the link to THAT.

I so love our times together as a family, feasting, and celebrating our LORD!  With the girls' crazy work schedules and knowing that someday they will be off starting their own family traditions, I soak in every moment together.

So, I think that about wraps things up for this year's Passover post!

We have a busy springtime planned -- once the snow melts (sigh).

The MN Horse Expo is coming up; a short vacation; and some other exciting plans!

I am also very late in posting about our foyer makeover, but enough for tonight.

Blessings Dear Friend!

Love, Jane

footnote: I know I'm not consistent in always using the sacred name as most of my readers are not use to reading Hebrew, and I don't think it's beneficial to write in a way that few can understand, nor to have to keep defining every word.

Please read as you are comfortable.

   

Hanukkah 2017

Welcome to our Hanukkah Celebration!

Come on in, help yourself to a fresh baked gingerbread cookie in the shape of a menorah, a dreidel, or a star and enjoy the lights and warm fellowship as we celebrate

The LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

I'm not sure how long we have been celebrating Hanukkah; I know we started celebrating it long before we ditched our Christmas tree.  I think I've covered our whys & wherefores  in past posts (links below), but just to say that the celebration of Hanukkah is relevant and important for all believers as it is the story of unshakable zeal for God's instruction, devotion to God's Commandments, the will to stand up for what is right & holy, and rejecting assimilation into a pagan world.  It is the story of the rededication of God's Temple and His people, and this is really what all the fall feasts are about - a humble rededication of our own temple -- our hearts and lives to the One True King of kings and Lord of lords. 

~~~~~~

Posts from past Hanukkahs:

Happy Thanksgiv-Birth-ukkah! 

Goodbye to Christmas (Part III): Celebrating Hanukkah

Goodbye to Christmas (Part IV): Our 2014 Hanukkah Photos

~~~~~

And here's a glimpse into this year's celebration...

Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, 8 Days & 8 Nights

December 12 - 20, 2017

Although the Feast of Dedication is not a feast of YHWH as listed in Leviticus 23, it is mentioned in the Bible in John 10: 22-23

"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.  And Yahshua (Jesus) walked in the temple in Solomon's porch."

Yahshua did not condemn the celebration but rather used it as an opportunity to teach that He is the Light of the World.  (John 8 - 10)

An 8-night Feast! (pictured night 4, Chicken Marsala night)
Jeff had the honor of lighting our oil lamp from Israel each night. 

Our Hanukkah Menu

1/Tue) Papa Murphy's Pizza (10 buck Tuesday)
2/Wed) BBQ Brisket, Rice, Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Gingerbread Cookies
3/Thur) Herb Roasted Lamb Chops, Latkes, Green Beans, more cookies!
4/Fri) Chicken Marsala (non-alcohol), Roasted & Glazed Carrots, Salad, Olives
5/Shabbat) Honey Salmon, Oriental Fried Rice, Kale Chips
6/Sun) Texas Roadhouse for a belated birthday lunch and Spaghetti & fend Supper
7/Mon) Deluxe Been Hotdish & Garlic Toast
8/Tue) Fried Chicken, Cole Slaw, Fried Potatoes of choice (Brass Rail Take-out), homemade Apple Bars

You may laugh at my menu as it doesn't seem like much of a feast, but we had to be a little more flexible with both of our girls working a variety of hours, including a couple late nights where Anna didn't get home until almost 10 p.m..  And only one night did I remember to play Hanukkah music (oy).

Gingerbread Menorahs, Dreidels, & Stars

Speaking of working late, we usually spend our Hanukkah evenings playing several rousing board games, all with a Hanukkah or Biblical theme, and we talked about it, but instead ended up vegging out in the evenings, too tired to think!   However, following dinner, we did retire in the family room and read "Light in the Darkness: Hanukkah and the Disciples of Yeshua" by First Fruits of Zion (online pdf).  A great little booklet on the whole story of the Feast of Dedication including many portions of Scripture and I Maccabees, followed by some good family discussions. :)

We do not believe that Hanukkah should be celebrated like a Jewish Christmas, it's not.  And we debated whether we should switch our gift giving to Thanksgiving, but truth be told, we just ran out of time, hopefully next year, but we do give gifts because we are so very thankful for God's gift of FAMILY and the light each one brings into our lives!  With the girls basically adults now, most gifts are gift cards.

We enjoy having lights while we celebrate the Light of the World. 

And yes, even though we don't do Christmas, I still enjoy reading each card & letter and displaying the latest photos of people we love.  I haven't sent out any cards in years, but I keep thinking I should start sending out something maybe at Thanksgiving or at the end of the year.

   Despite this photo looking rather eerie, the blue & white lights above the kitchen cabinets really do look festive in real life.

I was going through my emails just this morning and found out we missed an invitation to a "Festival of Lights" open house that would have been very fun.  I hope they have it again next year!  

 

Looking through the patio door with pompom garland draped down.  Horses way out there!  So far we are having a rather mild Minnesota winter, which I love (I hate having to trudge through deep snow to the barn and freeze to death), but hubs would like a little more snow for cross-country skiing.  It's suppose to turn cold (-25 windchills ) soon.

 Our last night of Hanukkah gave us some real-life examples of the Hanukkah story as our lamp ran out of oil and I didn't have quite enough traditional candles for our hanukkiah.  No miracle happened here, so we used these oh so pretty Tag candles. :)

A couple random add-on photos:

It's now Christmas Eve and although our family doesn't celebrate Christmas, our extended family does.  Traditionally we would be going to the in-laws for a family dinner/gathering, but Anna had to work late, so that has been postponed to ?, maybe  January.  But hub's parents will be joining us for lunch tomorrow as I didn't want them to be alone.  So I'll have a smaller spread, not as much food as at Thanksgiving.  We don't have any Christmas décor, in fact, our Hanukkah décor is still out. :)  Anyway, here are a couple photos from today...

Icicles hanging from our greenhouse this morning.  It was +18, not that bad by Minnesota standards, but there was a slight breeze that made it feel much cooler.

  I find much of my groceries in our basement -- we eat homegrown & organic as much as possible.  It makes all the hard work at harvest time so worthwhile. :)

We don't have a fireplace -- I wish!  We had this on tv for a bit, but hearing the old songs flooded my heart with so many dear childhood memories of family and a simpler time with much more love & kindness -- both of which are just a fond memory.

   

I guess that wraps up this year's Hanukkah celebration.

Thanks for stopping in!

May You find Peace and Joy in knowing the true

Light of the World, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah)

with Love, jane

Moving Forward & Update

Moving Forward
Closing a Chapter & Finding a New Normal 

I guess I feel the need to make one final footnote following our hospice & loss journey.

Don't worry, more pictures below. :)

I told my family a week or so ago that I finally feel like I can put the past (mostly) behind me and move on.  It's nearing six months since Mom passed away; the events of the last 9 months (actually since Nov. 2014 with Mom's first heart episode) have been draining to say the least.  I still occasionally have tearful days, but I can see a light at the end of this tunnel.  My attention is finally shifting back to our home front; my wonderful family has been so very, very gracious & helpful as I work through all this, and I'm so thankful for them, now if I can just extend that same grace to myself as I feel so very behind on everything.

~~~~~

Just as a quick update as to some of what has transpired regarding the aftermath of Mom's death:

We sold Mom's townhouse in 5 days (Lovin' that it's a seller's market!!!), but the 1st buyer backed out of the deal a week before closing (AUGH, no reason given), so then we sold it again in 6 days.  Then at the 11th hour, a week before the scheduled closing, the buyer finally has their inspector come out and wants us to do 4 fix-ups prior to closing, which didn't seem all that big of a deal -- one was just plugging in all the appliances and making sure they work (they do, we just unplugged them to reduce utility costs on a vacant home).  Jeff easily did two more -- (2) adjusting a setting on the garage door opener & (3) replacing the dryer vent with a non-flexible tube, but the fourth item  

Mom's Townhouse

was a new electrical box -- did I mention this was the 11th hour?!.  So without the luxury of having time to get estimates, we hurriedly got an electrician out there and a new box was installed ($3,000+); we are ready to close!  But wait, there's more...  so immediately after we bend over backward and get everything ready for a July 13th close, we are informed that evidently the buyer's lender had dropped the ball and didn't get an appraiser out soon enough, thus the closing would have to be pushed back another 2 weeks.  Oh man, I couldn't believe it!  Yes I cried!  Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov. 13:12a)  Additionally, all the delays cost me more money since I still have to pay utilities, association fees, and property tax.  Now the closing is set to happen in less than a week...[Update: The townhome closed June 26th, yeah!  The lady agent for the buyer was quite rude and she made sure the buyer was in one conference room and us in another -- passing papers back & forth between rooms (I've never been in such a situation).  I never did get to meet the buyer or even get a good look at her, which makes me sad; I was all prepared to give her information on the place, answer any questions, and wish her the very best.  Instead the agent grabbed the folder and cut me off in an unpleasant tone & hurried me in trying to explain the folder I had for the buyer.  I wonder whether the agent had a very false preconceived idea of me or whether she's that rude to all sellers, but I found it very hurtful.]        

The few final utility bills are coming in and being paid; it feels amazingly freeing!   I will be free of all those additional expenses and almost done with everything, everything that is except...

I am still nervously awaiting for the medical bills to arrive.  I've only received a couple relatively minor bills, but I expect to see at least one very substantial hospital bill.  And unfortunately it looks like I might be forced into a battle as Mom's supplemental health insurance has all of the sudden decided not to pay any of Mom's 6-day hospital bill that included ER and ICU. (What?)  In doing some research, I am now finding out that Mom's choice of supplemental medical insurance is notorious for stalling and not wanting to pay, so as if dealing with a loss isn't enough, now I have to rally myself & fight them.  Their reason for not paying is fishy to say the least, and now they are stalling -- their dishonesty may work on some, but they don't know who they are dealing with here.  Getting tough with them is the last thing I feel like doing, but we are talking a lot of money, so if I'm unable to get anywhere with them soon, I'll be reporting them to the State Ins. Regulatory Department. (sigh)  Hopefully they will change their mind.

So in closing on all that I've shared about caring for the elderly and our hospice & funeral experience, I guess my top two words of advice are:

1. Make sure your loved one has really, really good life & health insurance.

2. Document, document, document everything!  Even on what might seem insignificant, like cancelling satellite tv or auto insurance.  Make sure to write down everything and keep it on file -- when you called (record date & time, who you talked with, make good notes after each call), keep copies of correspondence, etc. because some of it might unexpectedly drag on or come back to haunt you, and you want a paper trail to look back on that gives you an upper hand when dealing with unsavory individuals/companies.  You might think you are doing alright, but it's surprising how grief/loss can really fog one's thinking & memory, and as hard as it is to comprehend, some people take advantage of that.

All in all,  I think I was/am doing pretty good.  It takes an unbelievable amount to time to make closure on a person's life -- closing accounts, sending out letters with "proof" that you are the qualified representative/executor, phone calls, emails, organizing, etc..  The stress and emotions of it all can leave one in a fog; I went through the motions of just getting things done on an as-needed bases with little else accomplished, interspersed with periods of just staring out the window while thoughts drift to replaying recent events or recounting memories of the past.  Not only my life, but that of our entire family was somewhat on hold for a very long time, always "on call" not only during Mom's declining health & impending death, but pretty much for the last 24 years -- between Daddy's and my aunt's decline/death, and my Mom's reviling ways, it's been a long season.

Finally my thoughts are really beginning to switch over to the here and now -- back to my beloved family and farmette, and finding a new norm without the constant worry over my extended family.

 So, with that said, boy do I feel behind!  I can't believe it's already mid-July -- I feel like I'm just getting started and already school supplies are filling the store shelves and fall fashions are starting to appear.  So, when we are not consumed with estate matters, here is a little of what we are squeezing in during our fleeting Minnesota summer:

  

Garden

Despite a late planting because of caring for Mom's estate, our garden is doing well.  God has blessed us with some amazing successes and unusual failures.  I'll give more detail about that in my next blog post.

Farm & Ranch

Earlier this spring we ran out of hay for the horses and Grandpa had to come to the rescue with a couple big round bales -- it was fun to try the rounds, but I guess I like the square bales best.  Last year we bought most of our hay from my in-laws, not realizing the bales are a bit smaller, they just didn't suffice -- this year we will get more.  Here Jeff & the girls are gathering the first cutting at the in-laws, working fast as a thunderstorm draws in.  

Horses

 Our silly horses are doing just fine, but are underworked.  Our beloved farrier keeps asking if they will be getting off of welfare this year, haha.  I wish.  But between the weather, the girls work schedules, and again, Mom's stuff, this year isn't looking good either.  I spent an hour combing out Sundance's mane and the dreadlocks he seems to twist; I hated to cut his beautiful long mane, but it wasn't looking very beautiful the way it was either.  On hot summer days, we go out every 2-3 hrs. and mist (hose) down the horses to cool their body temperature.

Rodeo Days in Isanti, MN

Rodeo

Of course, the local rodeos are a highlight of our summer.  I think Anna & I have been to only 4 rodeos so far this year - we're slipping.

Bison at Sunset on Snake River Farms

Meat

Our freezers are FULL of meat!  I order beef, bison, lamb, and last year, chicken, from a farmer/rancher who operates much like famed farmer/author/lecturer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.  It's an hour drive just to pick up the harvested cuts, but well worth the lovely drive. 

Fit & Healthy, not really

Hubby works for a major medical device corporation and as part of our corporate medical insurance, we have to earn 15,000 points each by the end of the year in order to receive a discount on our medical insurance.  Of course, my Mr. Sporty has long surpassed that goal, whereas I didn't even start until mid-June, but I'm happy to say I already have over 11,000 points.  We were given these cheapie fitbit-like activity trackers, but I must confess, mine seems a bit off and I can rack up the steps much faster then Jeff by doing practically nothing.  That's okay, I need the advantage -- a little friendly competition. :)

Chalkboard-looking Calendar

One Crafty Project

Haven't had time for much home projects, but I recently finished this 20"x16" framed calendar.  I painted the frame, left over from the funeral photo display, and ordered the jpeg calendar on Etsy.  The girls can write their schedules on the glass with wet erase markers so we know when they work and I can easily tell Gma when she calls and asks -- she likes to stop in at their work to visit.

    

That's about it for now.  There's always something.

The girls are working a lot and so we really enjoy a rare day/evening when we all four of us can be together, but we are sorely behind in having people over because of work schedules -- meanwhile summer is flying by.

I am feeling like I'm finally ready to start tackling home projects again.  Besides the house needing a good thorough cleaning and the garden & flowers needing constant weeding, here are my top to-dos:

• Changing up paint colors on the walls
• We are badly in need of a new sofa, but I can't find anything I like -- the search continues.
• We have 3 clocks that need service; after calling to inquire about house calls & the sticker shock, I'm going to watch (no pun intended) some online videos and see if I can do it myself. (scary)
• I love looking at real estate and for the past couple of years Jeff & I have been talking about the future, retirement, and what that will look like.  Now that we know what we want, I'm on constant lookout for the "perfect" land to build our retirement cottage.  I would like to be on a lake, Jeff wants lots of land, we both want a one-story walkout.  So with real estate tight, if I find something, we will jump on it, which could be tomorrow, or it could be years from now.  At any rate, although we love our location now, we know this 3-level home will eventually not work for us -- too big, too many stairs!

That's all!

Next post I'll give a little photo journal of our garden, so far.

See you Soon!

Until then,

Happy Summer!!