~ Loggia ~

Loggia

log·gia/ˈlōj(ē)ə/Noun

1. A gallery or room with one or more open sides,
esp. one that forms part of a house and has one side open
to the garden.

2. An open-sided extension to a house.

(House Beautiful)

or,

a Sherwin Williams paint color

 I know, not quite as exciting as the loggia!

I was watching a movie that had the word "loggia" in it,

 an Italian word with the meaning of a room with one side open to the air.

It caught my attention because it is the name of the paint color we've chosen

for the walls of our soon-to-be-built cottage.

No, our cottage will not have a loggia, but it will have a front porch,

small but necessary, as I cannot imagine not having a porch.

A porch is such a welcome sight, a place where we will be able to

 have a cup of coffee in the morning, a glass of lemonade in the evening,

or a nice visit with our neighbors.

I have loved having our porch at our home, and I wait eagerly in the

spring to open the door and go out on the porch.  It faces east, and it is a pretty place

 to catch the morning sun. This summer, it is too hot to be out there later in the day, but

 mornings are perfect, with the cool morning air coming in.
It is my favorite place in the house.

I am having a case of the blues about selling the house, but I know it is

the right decision. It is to be expected of leaving our home of 28 years to

go to something different, but I am also looking forward to the new.
I know I have already done a post about this, (It is time to be...)
but I am afraid you may hear about it again in the future ~ oh, hankies!




No changing of our minds,

no doubts,

trusting God's direction,

just thankful for how He has provided for us all this time,
 for this home that He gave us to raise our daughters,
memories with a few tears, a few sighs, lots of laughs,
and lots of photographs.




My Father’s house has many rooms;
 if that were not so,
 would I have told you that
I am going
 there to prepare a
 place for you?
John 14:2 



Hmmmmm, I wonder if it will have a porch,

or maybe, just maybe,

a loggia, too!
(Somehow, I don't think it will matter!)

P.S. I have to smile at the photo of the loggia at the top,
because it has the colors we will be using in the new cottage, and
it has a golden retriever ~ oh, Lucy!

Just Hangin'

Grandsons Jack and Eli are hanging out with me this afternoon,

and while Eli naps and Jack relaxes with PBS Kids, I thought I'd share

some photos from Pinterest of pretty linens

just hangin'!

I love linens on the clothesline...

especially when there is a soft breeze...

and plenty of sunshine.

I can just smell the sunshine on

these vintage beauties!

And who can resist vintage hankies?

These pretty dresses in a row go quite well...

with this vintage bike.

These linens are like a pretty flower garden...

as are these pillowcase dresses for a sweet little girl...

and these posy-covered dresses for big girls!

 

These storybook romance tea towels would

look lovely in any home...

as would these pretty aprons!

Yep, I'm just hangin' out with Jack and Eli

on this gorgeous summer day!

(all photos from pinterest)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday, and she is 84. She continues to deal with Alzheimer's and now has the added burden of cancer. Last month, she was found to have Hodgkin's lymphoma after she found a lump on her chin area. She is now undergoing chemo for a few weeks, and we are told that the cancer has not spread. So thankful to God for this news.

This is a picture of me and mom from a couple of years ago. I like it because

it was taken before we knew she had Alzheimer's and now cancer.

She is 84 now, and living in a care facility near my brother, Gary, in Nebraska.

He and his wife, Buffy, take such good care of her, just as my sister and her

husband did for several years. She likes her new place and is meeting new people,

and she continues to remember all of us, her "kids", but stories of her grandchildren

and great grandchildren are harder to keep straight.

I talked with her on the phone, and she sounded tired but fairly upbeat. It is hard

to be far away and wish you could be together, so I am hoping I can go this summer

and spend a little time with her, since I haven't seen her since this spring. It is much

better to visit face to face than over the phone, as she doesn't have a lot to say these days.

Laura Story sings a song entitled "Blessings"

and she tells the story of her husband being diagnosed with a brain tumor

and all they have gone through the past 5 years. Martin has had some healing

and they continue to pray for complete healing. Laura says that, "God is 100% powerful...

 and 100% loving...He is teaching me that sometimes He gives us what we need

rather than what we want; and sometimes He lets us stay broken in ways that

we might not feel comfortable with...like that broken vessel that His light can beam through..."

Please click on the title below to see a music video of

this song - for some reason I cannot get it to embed.

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears

 what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is a revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

(pinterest)

Join the 90-Day Challenge

Don't worry, this isn't an exercise challenge or a diet challenge, no siree,

none of that for me! Instead, at this time in my life when I am sorting and packing and praying

our house sells, as well as planning the details of the new house, babysitting the JEMS and

just living, I am excited to be doing this challenge...

(Click above to see what it's all about and to sign up!)

For those of you who know me personally or even if you barely know me,

you may be thinking that I have bitten off more than I can chew.

You may be thinking, "She'll never get it done cause she already has too

much on her plate" and you may be right, but I think I will make it, for

two reasons.

One,

YOU ARE ALL NOW MY ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS

(informally, don't worry!)

and

two,

GOD'S GRACE.

Heartlight

Whenever I read this verse, my heart becomes full from the realization

that there is nothing I can do to deserve God's favor,

but His grace is given without my goodness, without my merit.

It is by His grace that I will make it, whether it is in 90 days or more,

for His power is made perfect in my weakness.

I am not doing this on my own, no, there are hundreds of others joining the challenge,

but most importantly, God promises He is with me.

He is with you, too, no matter if you do this challenge or not,

He is with you 24/7 and He will never leave you or forsake you.

It is because God is who He says He is, and I am looking forward to Him

revealing more about Himself to me, by reading His love letter to me,

to all who will open it.

So, with this said, I will blog about this every now and then, whenever

I am not sorting and packing...oh, yeah, I already said that.

Ok, so enough - I'm headed to the sofa to read!

Reality Sets In

The sign went up on Friday for the 4th of July weekend...

Eli helped Grandpa display the flag ...

 Maya danced to the band music...

and Jack scored a popcicle at the parade.

Each holiday and event held at our house is full of nostalgia these days,

as reality sets in: our house is officially for sale.

We are attempting to sell it ourselves, and have shown it

to a few people already, with a couple of more calls today.

So in between packing things for storage, I snapped a few photos of

the flower gardens...

and spent a little time looking ahead as we choose color options,

something like these; blues and soft beiges with white trim...

for our soon-to-be-built cottage.

God has given me the gift of letting go of the past and looking

forward to the future. I will not forget our nearly 28 years here,

and I will cherish the memories He has given us, but I look forward

to the next adventure.

Life is full of adventures, and God promises

to be with us every step of the way!

(Red Letter Words )

Happy Independence Day

We will spend the 4th with our daughters and their families here in our backyard with all of the food and fun that goes with this Freedom Day. The For Sale sign went up on Friday, and so having one last 4th here at our house will be special. Our town has a pancake breakfast, a parade, and a great fireworks display. However, I always stay home with the frightened dog :)

Happy 4th of July to you all!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galations 5: 1 (NIV)

photo: subway art free to copy@:Mirabelle Creations