There’s a large deck that runs across the front of our new house. The sun rises over one end of the deck, and by noon it blazes on the center portion of the deck. By three o’clock the sunlight is at the other end, near the front door, and by this time there are shadows that make it lovely to sit outside and enjoy the views of Lake Superior, and watch the ore boat traffic. There are plenty of sailboats and fishing boats on the lake too, but the huge thousand footers are the ones that grab our attention the most.

The first weekend in our house, we bought flowers for the three flower boxes on the deck railing. Sara chose varieties that do well with full sun exposure, and they’re all settling in and growing, and making me feel happy about their beautiful little lives.

The red ones are called Lantana, and they attract hummingbirds, and lots of bees so far.

“The earth laughs in flowers,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I love that quote, and definitely agree. It seems so heartening to bring that laughter just a little bit closer to the house.

It seems like all I do lately is post fluffy stuff. Maybe now that we’ve downsized in house and business, my brain has received the signal that it’s finally okay to rest. I have a few things I’d like to post soon, but for today I’ll give you a peek of my new office.

I’m not sure what this room was originally. I wondered if the round mirrors and the polka-dots on the wall were to decorate a nursery. It’s a small room, just right for my office. I had to do away with a piece of my desk in order to fit everything in here, but that’s okay. I have a temporary folding table up to help me with the licensing paperwork I’ve been working on for a while now.

In this new house there’s very little we’re going to change. I’m just not in the mood for much redecorating, and that feels perfectly fine.

I do think, however, that I will change the office someday soon. I am missing the black and white toile from our old bedroom, and think this little office would be the perfect place for some toile wallpaper, only in a different color.

I love blue and white toile, but there’s a lot of blue in this house. The previous owner loved the color (as do I) — I don’t think I’ll add more. I love red. I wonder what a small red toile office would look like?

Like this, perhaps?

I think I like that.

I’ll post a few more photos soon of other rooms in the house.

I’m currently reading Wendell Berry’s Hannah Coulter and it’s beautiful. I read his Jayber Crow last year and it was an utterly unique and transporting book.

I’d love to hear what you’re up to today, or what book you’re reading….

I’ve got many things I’m turning around in my mind these days, things I’d like to write about, but there are other items on the to-do list that come first. Our foster care re-licensing is coming up next week and I need to finish preparing for that. My dear friend Su came over to help me with that this morning since she’s a foster care provider too; she looked lovingly at me and told me I looked shot, and I believed her and gratefully received her assistance.

We are 95% unpacked, which means there are only two or three more small boxes to unpack and then we’ll be completely finished. We’ve been in our new home for a week now and we love it. I thought I’d post a couple of (not the greatest quality) photos of Michael’s and my bedroom, which feels like an amazing oasis to us already.

A couple of days ago I was poking along at my Fifty-four Year-Old Woman Pace, trying to put things away in the best places in our bedroom and closet, when Sara came to the rescue. She worked fast and efficiently and by mid-afternoon our room was done. (You can click to enlarge these if you like.)

As with our old bedroom, we have a sitting area where we can have our morning devotions together, read, and take an occasional tea break. We have a view of Lake Superior from these windows, which I never get tired of.

The room is quiet and restful (and yes, embarrassingly huge), and Michael and I have our first king-sized bed in our 31-year marriage. I didn’t think it would make that big of a difference in our sleep, but it has. And Edith and Mildred seem to appreciate the extra room too. 🙂

I will post more photos when I get a chance, and I thank you again for making time in your day to stop by.

(Note, added over a year later: we changed our bedroom around and it now looks like this…)

Have a very blessed and peaceful weekend,

Yesterday a lot was accomplished. There are still pictures to hang and shelves to a large bookcase to find (how can large shelves go missing?), but our new house is starting to look and feel like home.

What my daughters do in one hour is about what I would get done in a day. I have thanked God many times for their help during this move.

Carolyn stopped by again yesterday afternoon to bring by a housewarming gift, created by her husband Jeremy and their youngest child Audrey, age 4. They made shortbread cookies stamped with a B for our last name, and Sara and I both agreed it was the best shortbread we’ve ever eaten. I’m pretty sure they had sugar in them and I ate them anyway.

The letter B is so unique – I asked Carolyn how Jeremy did that and she said, “Oh, he just made his own stamp.” He does things like that. Just makes/welds/sews/forges things on his own when the need arises.

Jeremy told me later that apparently Audrey thought they were going to make shortbread with bees on them, so when she saw the letter B on each cookie, she was disappointed that they weren’t “stripey bees.”

Have you ever received a unique housewarming gift? What was the best or the strangest one you’ve ever gotten?

After what seems like months of packing and unending days of moving, we are in our new house. We don’t know where anything is in our new house, but we are here.  🙂

And I am grateful to the Lord for bringing us here.

Things I Love About Living In Our New House

We have a beautiful view of Lake Superior
Our neighbors are so nice
Our bedroom is already a quiet oasis
Our foster gals love their new bedrooms
We have a much smaller mortgage
There’s a fireplace in the kitchen/dining room area
Every room is bright and cheery
The tub in the master bathroom is so deep one can float while taking a bath
We have central air conditioning
Edith and Mildred have finally settled down

Things I’m Still Having To Adjust To In Our New House

Not being near our old neighbors  🙁
Having half the kitchen cupboard space
A fancy dishwasher that broke after one use
A small fridge and freezer paired with a husband who likes to stock up
Less privacy due to a smaller yard
No woodsy view from our kitchen windows
Hardwood floors
Gas stove and oven instead of electric
One less person with us  🙁
No washer and dryer yet (the new ones brought on Saturday did not fit)

The photo above is part of our bedroom. Boxes, boxes, everywhere! And we’re actually about 2/3 unpacked, I would guess. I thought I had gotten rid of so many things, boxes of books, with many trips to our local Goodwill, but on moving day I could see I hadn’t done enough. I should have had Ember come and supervise everything — she would have helped me pare down a lot more!

See the newer super thick shag carpet? The previous owners had it installed and I’m hoping my vacuum is up to the task. I was told I just need to use the highest setting. Hmmm.

I don’t know what I would have done without my daughters. They’ve helped and carried and put away and organized and blessed us so much!

Well, I have paperwork to do, a dishwasher repairman to call, boxes to break down, dinner to plan, books to shelve and a bathroom cabinet to stock with towels and toiletries.

Some of you sent cards and emails and I can’t tell you how heartening this was to us….thank you.

I’ll come back up for air again soon,

I’m interrupting my blog hiatus to say thank you to two men who have just unloaded a huge burden from Michael’s and my backs.

As we’ve been packing up our house and carrying boxes out to the storage pods in our driveway, getting ready to move 1.1 miles west, there’s been a disquieting thrum in the background of my thoughts.

The garage.

The garage is Michael’s domain, and over the past years as his Parkinson’s has advanced, the garage has been harder for him to keep organized. And any time I considered doing it myself, I started hyperventilating and would just push the thought to the back of my mind. But it would always crowd to the forefront again, and I kept thinking, how in the world am I going to go through the garage and decide what needs moving, what needs donating, and what needs trashing?

Last week, I came to the realization that I could not possibly do it.

So I emailed my two sons-in-law, Chris (left) and Jeremy. I sort of whimpered in print that I needed their help. They put their heads together and set a date where they could both work together, and they came over two days ago and cheerfully began the daunting task.

Here is one example of what they had to deal with:

Chris and Jeremy showed up with smiles and started dividing everything up in groups of what to keep and what had to leave the premises. They loaded the storage pods with the most essential things we will need (who needs eight shovels, six levels and nine hammers?) at the new house. They took truckloads of broken or worn-out things to the dump. They did things I’m not even aware of — I just know it resulted in happy, relieved tears from their mother-in-law.

It’s raining today and I don’t have a picture yet of the finished result, but it’s almost miraculous. The garage looks like a garage we can happily present to the new owners of our home. I will put some more photos up soon.

Today I will attend our two Foster care meetings and continue the work on our packing with the feeling that a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders.

Thank you, thank you, Chris and Jeremy!

We are moving in fourteen days (are you tired of hearing about this yet?), and I’m trying to stay calm. There is still so much to do, even though I’ve tried to make steady progress each day. Screaming tendonitis in my right elbow tells me I’m doing too much; the cupboards and closets still not packed tell me I’m not doing enough.

So I’m going to take a little blog rest. I will be back when we’re all moved into our new house, and I’ll have pictures and brilliant anecdotes about how the movers carried this chair, and the electrician hooked up this wire, and how the Schnauzers adjusted to the new yard, and how the view of Lake Superior looks from a stone’s throw away, and how Michael and I like sleeping on a new king-sized bed — things you’ll be so very anxious to read about. 🙂

Thank you again for stopping by my little blog, dear friends and family.

Blessings,

“When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

Wendell Berry

*          *          *          *          *          *

Our house is starting to look more and more like this.

So we decided to do something we’ve never done before when moving.

The premise is that we can pack up a little bit every day, and then carry the packed boxes out to a storage container in our driveway.

This way we wouldn’t have to move all the contents of such a big house (4500 square feet) all at once on moving day, resulting in a possible commitment to an institution of some sort.

A little bit every day. You know, climbing a mountain begins with one small step and all of that.

Oh, here the delivery man is again! Two storage pods!

Then the movers will come on May 30th and carry the boxes I couldn’t manage, and all of our furniture out to these pods. Then the big truck will come and load them up, and deposit them in the driveway of the new house, where the movers will unload everything.

Hopefully, this will make the whole process a little less stressful.  Hopefully.

Michael was taking everything in stride. Or in chair.

Mildred and Edith never take anything in stride. They barked and whined at the front door and could not figure out what those two huge, dangerous white things were in our driveway.

Then, Michael’s friend Steve picked him up to take him fishing on Boulder Lake. It’s fishing opener weekend in Minnesota, and the cabin and the boat were waiting. (I had the bed to myself last night, which means the covers actually stayed in place all night long.)

I admired the storage units, changed my clothes, and drove off to a local church where my adorable granddaughter Lil’ Gleegirl was going to sing in her pre-school program.

If you need help picking her out, she’s the most beautiful little girl there dark haired sweetie in the plaid dress.

She quickly scanned the crowd of parents and grandparents to make sure we were there. Why does a simple smile and a wave make me cry? Can anyone explain that to me?

After the singing, which was fantastic, we went back to her school, which is Preschool-5th grade and will be where she and her sister and brother will attend next year.

Lil’ Gleegirl was anxious to show me her own cubby, her favorite play area with big blocks and puzzles, and below, how she can take out a rug and then roll it back up after she has worked a puzzle or two.

There were snacks for everyone. Lil’ Gleegirl’s teacher told me she was one of the most cheerful and enthusiastic children she’d ever known. I told her I completely agreed, and that she was definitely the most cheerful and enthusiastic member of our entire family.

Then, because it was Grandparents’ Day, the children got to go home with their grandparents. Lil’ Gleegirl wanted to take a tubby, have a sliced apple, and watch part of Lady and the Tramp. I worked on applying new badges to Mr. McBoy’s new Boy Scout uniform, and soon I had to take her home in time for her brother’s big to-do for scouts.

When I dropped her off, her daddy reminded me that a mother robin is nesting on a downspout next to the house by their front living room window, so I got out to see. Little baby robins have hatched and the mother is busy feeding them, and scolding anyone who comes too close. The three children have named the robin Avery.

But before Lil’ Gleegirl got out of the car, I told her how much I loved seeing her sing, visiting her preschool classroom, and how fun it was to just be with her at any time. She casually answered, “Yes Grandma. I think it’s really fun to come and stay at your house for fifteen days.”

It has been a long while since I’ve looked at the stat counter on my blog to see what search terms people are Googling that lead them by accident to www.JustJulieB.com.

So today, since I really should be packing boxes because we’re moving in less than four weeks, and because there’s a load of laundry in the dryer that needs folding, and because there’s a mountain of paperwork to tend to, I thought I’d check for some Google giggles instead. (And while I can see Google searches, I cannot see who searches for them, in case you’re wondering.)

Below in bold are some of the exact words of recent Google searches that brought people here:

Beaver teeth braces – I remember my brother calling me Bucky Beaver before I had braces, so maybe there’s another tortured youth out there wondering if there’s orthodontic hope for her.

Just Pee Blog – I am not aware of a blog about “Just Peeing,” but I am fairly certain I would not want to visit it.

Tallest girl in class – This always brings back memories for me, because with rare exceptions, I always was. Except this year.

Men in diapers – Once again, I’m just not sure I would visit a blog that specializes in this. For me, this could be hilariously funny or heart-wrenchingly sad.

Julie Plumage – I suppose there could be worse last names. Sara and I are always asking each other questions like this: “If you had to be Sara Boop or Sara Beep, which would you choose?” and “If your name had to be Julie Gweeble or Julie Maneeble” which would you choose?” and then we laugh our heads off and think what a relief it is to have the names we do after all. I might just have to ask Sara soon, “If your name had to be Sara Plumage or Sara Feathers, which would you choose?”

Baroness Schraeder eyebrows – “Aha!” I thought…so I’m not the only one who can’t stop watching this woman’s multi-tasking eyebrows when viewing The Sound of Music!

Does Nancy Drew like peanut butter soup – This one made me laugh out loud. To think that someone wanting the answer to this question would happen upon my little blog seems so odd! And does anyone know if Nancy does or not? I read all these books when I was young, and don’t remember anything about peanut butter soup.

Just Julie matters – Sometimes I wonder if it does.

Penny Proud’s grandma bunions – Poor Penny Proud.

A squirrel with no nut – Yes, if you’re doing a report on starving squirrels, this is the blog for you.

When did I get so gray – I’m not sure, friend. Could it have been over the last few years or so? That’s when it all happened for me.

Men with sideburns broke down – Oh, dear…did the men with sideburns break down mechanically or emotionally? I’m sure my blog talks about this somewhere deep within its pages…I can’t remember where, but it must be here if Google says it is.

Tiger hairstyle – You’ve heard of the Bob, the Wedge, the Pixie – soon men and women everywhere will be asking their stylists for the Tiger.

Piggeth – How did people know that Evil Piggeth (our Schnauzer Edith’s evil twin) lives here? I try not to speak of it too often. If we even quietly say the word “Piggeth” when Edith is within hearing distance, she instantly transforms into a maniacal dog who lunges at the oven door or the glass doors in front of the fireplace, snorting and pawing at her evil twin, whose reflection she sees there.

Shy bladder CDs like Bold Bladder Work – I had no idea there were CDs out there for shy bladders. I had no idea there were shy bladders in the first place. Or bold bladders for that matter. Do you have a bold bladder or a shy one?

Why does water come out of my eye when I use a Neti Pot – Yikes…that sounds like a question for your brain surgeon to help you with. We hope your recovery goes well.

Phobia of muskrats – I think my friend Jessica T. must have typed this phrase on Google.

Middle aged mother – Yes, this one I completely understand. I am one.

Today I will be spending some time with Mr. McBoy as he and I continue our Swiss adventure in the wonderful book Banner in the Sky. Then I will be taking one of our dear Foster gals to her new home, to see her new room there and to spend a little time with her new Foster mom before she moves in late May. I am also behind a little on my Community Bible Study lesson and hope to spend some time on that. And dinner, oh yes, I have to feed people around here. I had a request for chili recently so maybe I’ll make that since it looks to be a cold and rainy day. And I have more things to drop off at the Goodwill, and more boxes to pack. And tomorrow morning, an old friend will be coming by so we can start a Bible study together – this one.  I’ve never done a study by Stormie but I look forward to this one. And oh, has anyone out there ever seen “Bleak House”?  Michael and I just finished watching every episode (took us a while) and I loved it. (You can see the trailer here.) Now I’ve downloaded this Dickens book to my Kindle and started reading. Yesterday I took Michael for a follow-up appointment with our family doctor, and we both left there in slightly less cheer than when we arrived. Michael was very (understandably) resistant to the word walker and did not want to have his blood drawn, and I quickly fell prey to my icky default mode of thinking which is never good, the kind with self-focused ruminations like, Ihatethisthisistoohard and Iwishsomeonewouldtakecareofmeforachange, which is never, ever productive.

Anyway, checking once in a while to see what people are Googling usually brings a smile. If times get really hard, it helps to remember that I belong to Jesus Christ and He (wonder of wonders) belongs to me. And I don’t think He would mind that along with the scriptures I sometimes meditate on to keep me focused on what is good and true, I might also be pondering what a beaver with braces would look like, or whether or not Nancy Drew likes peanut butter soup.