Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

We are going to call this the finding joy in the heat addition. Last night at 7:30 it will still 90*. Whew!

The garden continues to produce well. I used some of the first cucumbers to make refrigerator pickles. A nice, crisp cold treat. 

The chickens continue to lay well. I love, love seeing a bowl of fresh eggs on my counter.

Most of my afternoons are spent floating in the pool. 

We are officially calling the garage "project central." As of today all of the pickets we purchased have been painted. Now Chuck will work on installing them.  Once that is complete we will remove more pickets to replace. 

My table flip is complete. The chairs are currently being flipped. As if I don't have enough going on I recently picked another piece of furniture to flip. 

This time it is a very nice buffet. There are some things happening behind the scenes that I'm not ready to share yet. Soon.

It's suppose to be another hot day. I am heading out to deadhead flowers, check the garden, and then I need to clean before I head out for a hair appointment. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary. 

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

Hello friends, after a cool start to spring, it's starting to warm up. This summer loving girl is ready for some warmth. 

Although short lived, peonys are sooo beautiful. And the fragrance is devine!

I love being able to get outside before lunch. While Mr. Ben plays I'm able to spend time in the Word. 

Just because I never get tired of seeing fresh eggs in my kitchen. *smile*

Mother's Day was delightful. Chuck and I took my parents out for lunch. (Megan was working.) I received a lovely homemade card from Megan. She drew the chicken. I also received gifts for my garden. 

Speaking of gardening... here I am ready to go to my happy place. 

Posing with the flowers for my window boxes and the veggies I grew myself. All of my flowers are planted and the plan is the have the planting of the garden completed by the weekend. I hope Mother Nature got the memo that's the plan!

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in thee every day, joy in the ordinary. 

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

Beautiful artwork left by one of the five year old twins who live next door. 

It brought joy to this sunshine loving girl!

There were a couple of bumps in the road this week. I asked Chuck to get the mop out of the utility closet and he spotted this on the furnace flue.

That's something I probably wouldn't have noticed. He made a list and then the plan was to take my car to the hardware store for parts and fill up my gas tank. Nope. We hopped in and my car wouldn't start. 

On to plan B. We hopped into his car and were off to get the parts. 

My handy guy was able to get the pipe whipped back in shape. My car ended up in the shop. Thankfully it was an easy fix and I was back in business by the next afternoon. 

Several day it was window open weather. 

It was warm and sunny. The perfect ice cream kind of day!

The highlight of the week was the empty grave and our risen Savior. Hallelujah!

My contribution to our extended family dinner was desserts. 

It was a great day and wonderful week. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary.

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week.

The cold snap finally ended. Even with snow still on the ground a 56 degree day calls for spending some time in the sun. 

 As of today there are large patches of grass showing. When I mentioned the grass to Megan, she said not grass, mud.  Although mud season isn't fun, I'll take it over snow and below freezing temperatures.

A trip to the feed store for the chickens. 

I saw that Menards had their seeds on sale for $0.10. Sadly, by the time I got there most of the vegetable seeds on sale were gone. 

A full fridge after a trip to the grocery store. I shoved everything here and there until I could sort it out. Having a full fridge is certainly joyful!

Dinner. Notice the heart touch as a nod to Valentine's week.

Me and my daytime buddy. *smile*

Katelyn is recuperating in the garage. Poor thing was found on the floor of the coop with a broken leg. Thankfully, she's on the mend. This is one of those moments when I'm choosing joy in the not so great moments! 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary. 

Wendi

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

One of many snow piles along the driveway. 

It's been super cold and instead of complaining I am choosing to find joy in the sun that sparkles on the fresh snow. As long as I'm in the warm house, it's beautiful.  

Adding leftover taco meat to my lunch salad. I'm trying to eat more protein for lunch. 

I pulled out the Valentine decor which led to some creating. 

Megan has is teaching herself all about sourdough. I admit, I don't mind being he taste tester!

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary.  

It's been a pretty slow week around here and you'll hear no complaints from me! 

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

Megan made delicious rolls to accompany our dinner. They were wonderful! 

Ben was gifted a Spiderman tent for Christmas. It ended up at my house and he loves it!

I needed new a small non-stick skillet. I use it almost every day to make eggs for breakfast. I mentioned that I didn't want Teflon and wanted to try ceramic. I put a small skillet on my list to try. Imagine my surprise I opened a package on Christmas morning with an entire set of skillets and cookie sheets!

I love them! The food literally slides right out of the pan and the clean up is super easy.  

As part of my organizational journey I pulled out the sewing machine. 

I'm not sure how much joy I can I found in this! I'm not the best at sewing, but sometimes it must be done in order to get what you want at a reasonable price. The project is complete, and that brings me joy!

On Monday I celebrated another birthday. 

Fifty-five trips around the sun for this girl! I slept in, had breakfast brought in, took a nap, was given way too many gifts, was taken out for dinner, and ended the evening with cake. I was spoiled by my family!

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary.

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week. 

A new rug and mat for the front door. 

All of the Christmas decor has been tucked away for another year. I enjoyed laying out the decor and putting it back in place.

I find joy in the simplicity of the every day decor. After all of the extras that Christmas brings it feels like a breath of fresh air. 

Surprisingly, our girls are still laying well. I thought it would have dwindled more since it's turned cold.  

This makes Megan happy since selling eggs is her side hustle. She currently has two regular customers and another one that wants on the egg list. 

Have I mentioned one spoiled cat lives here? 

For Christmas he received a heating mat specifically for a cats. It's set up so he can't chew on the cord. The blanket Megan put on him is just too much! *smile* Oh yes, he's one spoiled kitty. 

The tradition of appetizers on New Year's Day continued this year. 

Chuck usually works on New Year's Eve and we are generally sound asleep by midnight. It's nice to have a day when we can munch and I don't have to worry about providing lunch and dinner. 

The bonus is that we were able to eat the leftovers for lunch all weekend!

You would think with all the decluttering that took place last year there would be nothing left. Ha!

As I've been organizing I've found plenty to donate. One thing I have learned is that decluttering and organizing are two things that always need a little attention. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary. 

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week.

The making of Christmas goodies has begun.  

The first item on the list was caramels. You can find the recipe here.  You won't regret making these. 

Being under the weather meant I was able to finish some books. 

The turkey carcass was cooked down. Oh my, it smelled soooo good. 

I was able to can five quarts and had enough left to make a turkey pot pie. Homemade stock makes such a difference. 

Megan and her bestie went to a basketball game and ended up on the big screen!

A bit of simple Christmas joy. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary. 

Wendi 

 

Joy in the Ordinary

 Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week.

An ordinary cupcake feels like fall with the addition of candy corn. Simple, easy, yet festive. 

Can you tell which one isn't a stuffed animal? *smile*

I adore toddler crafts! Ben was having fun until he got glue on his fingers. Oops!

The glow of flameless candles makes my home feel super cozy this time of year. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy.. joy in the every day, joy in the ordinary things.

Wendi