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Two of summer's guilty pleasures

Italian Sodas made with 3 simple ingredients: Archer Farms Italian soda from Target (It comes in a lot of yummy flavors, like Strawberry Pomegranate and Blood Orange), whipped cream, and ice.  Yum-O!

And, this frozen treat:

Dark chocolate-covered banana slices.  Heaven!  My friend brought these to work one day (You know how it goes- somebody brings food to share at work and suddenly everyone transforms into vultures!).  I had to run right to Sam's Club to get a box. 

Bonus: each treat is only 100 calories per serving!

Luxury

In keeping with the theme of my last post-


[“Wait!” you say, “There was a theme to your last post?! Was it interior design, or flooding, or materialistic people, or remodeling? I couldn’t tell because you were jumping all over the place, Jill!”
Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try to stay on track this time.]


In keeping with ONE of the themes of my last post, life on the farm just got a little more comfortable last week. We had central air conditioning and a driveway installed. Two things that we considered luxuries up until recently.

So exciting!

Here is my dad and J installing pavers and prepping the ground...

 It is a work in progress (like most things around here), but definitely an improvement!

Here is my cousin and my baby last July trying to cool off in front of the fan during a heat wave…

…and this is us now…

Just kidding! I got this picture as a forward and I have no idea whose dog this is, but it does look just like our friends’ dog, Stella. And I can picture Stella doing this, too!

Material Girl

I dealt with a personal struggle of materialism after a design consultation with a client regarding her kitchen remodel. She lived in what I thought was an already beautiful home that was about to receive a complete overhaul, and I was there to help her plan her new kitchen. This project is a designer’s dream, with budget-less, tasteful, and personable clients.

This remodel was also obviously the homeowner’s dream, because they were making the home their own, with their own personal flare and style. The timing was right for them, and they were bursting with excitement to get the remodel started.

But, while I was in their home discussing the plan and the scope of their project, all I could think about was my brother who lost his home in the flood. For him, at that point, it was a necessity to have a place to live, rather than a desire to make [what some would consider] unnecessary changes to an already-functional house. This is an example of two families who were at different places in their life with different priorities at the time.

 

I was reminded of an argument that took place with a friend in college regarding the “lack-of-importance and purpose” of my interior design degree compared to his “highly-acclaimed” engineering one. I somewhat understood where he was coming from; I was not going to be a teacher, or a doctor, or a police officer, or anything that he considered “vital” to humanity. Even though I give those professionals (and many more) all the credit in the world for the work that they do, I still defended myself and my profession during that conversation.

Ever since my brother has experienced his loss, I have had to remind myself of my purpose again while at work. Yes, my job can be materialistic and lighthearted sometimes, but that is one of the things that make it so enjoyable. It is also fun to be creative and help clients make their home into their very own sanctuary. Decorating and personalizing a home can invoke different feelings, and I want my clients to have good emotions and reactions when spending time at home.

In addition to aesthetic aspects of design, I can help to make their home safer and more efficient. As an interior designer, I guide my clients towards making the right decisions based on my product knowledge and experience. Designer friends, feel free to add your thoughts and memories!

And regarding flooding, fires, and all other disasters that can occur, I also help people replace materials lost during those situations. I love it when, after the initial reactions to damages, homeowners can see them as “blessings in disguises” if they end up with a home even more beautiful than what they started with.

 

Maybe my college friend was trying to get me to stick up for myself, and maybe that argument was another “blessing in disguise,” because it made me realize a PURPOSE for my own personal career path.  And that's a good thing, because I love design!

Note: These pictures are not specific to the topics of this blog post, they are merely representations of my past work.

The best things in life aren’t things

My brother and his wife are a good team. They balance each other out, they have so much in common, and they love to do things together. They have worked hard for what they have in life, and they had a busy summer ahead of them. And by busy, I mean: buying and moving into their first house; starting their careers; having a baby… you know- BIG deal stuff!

They had every right to take pride in their first home, because they worked hard to clean it, make it their own, and get it ready for the arrival of their new baby.

Everything was falling into place. Then, a short time after closing and moving in, they were evacuated because of the impending flood. A week later, they were given the go-ahead to cautiously move back in, but be prepared to leave quickly if needed. Then…

SURPRISE!

…a beautiful baby girl arrived 5 weeks early to great the world patriotically on Flag Day and tell her daddy, “Happy Fathers Day!”

Since she was a preemie, my new, fragile, little niece had to spend some time in the neonatal intensive care unit while she learned how to breath, eat, and digest on her own. Stressful as it was, there was so much excitement upon her arrival. They visited her in the hospital every couple hours and hurried to complete more projects around the house.

Then, another mandatory evacuation order came, and they moved out again. This time was the real thing. The flood was coming. People were working furiously to protect the city, but some damage could not be prevented. All they could do was busy themselves with work, visit and care for their baby in the hospital, and watch from afar as the water crept up and took their home.

At a time like this, I am amazed that they can recognize the blessings in life: a grateful attitude and faithful upbringing; family and friends nearby who have helped, housed, and moved them; wonderful doctors and nurses who have cared for the baby; and the biggest joy of all is their little girl who arrived on her own time, but just in time.

I admire and commend them for the way they are handling this situation.

A lot of people have asked me what they can do to help. My answer is that a lot of assistance will be needed when it is finally time to clean up the mess and get them back into a home. Right now, all we can do is wait, lift them up in prayer, and remember to be grateful for what we have.

F.W.I.T.

There are many things I have learned by being a being a FWIT (Farm Wife In Training), and one of the lessons is this:

I have to love that he loves what he is doing.

I have to remember that he loves farming at times like these: when the weather does not cooperate; farmers are late in getting their crop planted; they work 18-hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks on end; and sometimes, just when you think you have everything done, a field must be re-seeded because the rain drowned it out. 

I don't hear J complain during these stressful seasons. 

One of the reasons I fell in love with him was his passion for this lifestyle.  He is goal-orientated, hard-working, deals with situations he knows he cannot change, and he can see the big picture.  He balances me out, because he doesn't get worked up about things he cannot control.  It takes someone like that to be in a profession where your livelihood depends on something as unpredictable as the weather. 

He never wanted me to feel like I was giving anything up by marrying him, like living close to my family, having the conveniences of city life, or keeping my job.  I often tell people that although moving to the farm has been a culture shock, I love it.  Looking back, I still can't believe I did it.  I never thought in a million years that I would marry a farmer.  Farming was what my uncles and cousins did.  I didn't know the difference between a combine and a tractor.  But then I met J and the rest is history!

Yup, that's me, the Big City Girl wearing high heels for our engagement photos in the corn and rye fields. 

(By the way, J would want me to clarify that he does not grow corn or rye.)  :)

Hmmm....What should I write about?

I love blogging.

I love me a good cup of coffee while sitting in front of the computer and catching up on all of the favorites in my blogroll.

I also love updating my friends and family about the latest and greatest news of our lives.

I know it has been over a month since I last posted. I have been wracking my brain trying to think of something interesting, cute, inspirational, and funny enough to share. All I could come up with are these mundane tidbits of my life [that didn’t quite make it as facebook statuses :) ]

-I knew I was a grown-up when I put an address label on my cake pan before taking my homemade dessert to a baby shower.

-When I turn my back, my son drinks out of the toilet. What kind of parent lets their kid do that?!  He is all boy.  Scars and all...

-I recently went to a new dentist. Did you know there is now an option to have the fluoride painted on, instead of the dreaded trays and suction hose?

-Does anyone want to come and mow the lawn for us? It only takes seven hours! Or, you could watch L while I mow. You choose!

-I miss the old HGTV. They used to air shows about do-it-yourself projects 24-7. Instead, now the schedule is filled with real estate based programming. [Sigh…]

-One of my favorite sights in the spring is watching the tiny green buds start to peer out in perfectly aligned rows in the freshly ground soil. So proud.

-This summer, we are anxious to welcome a sweet, little niece. We will also gain a new niece or nephew on the other side of the family in the fall. L loves cousins!

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