Category Archives: 2 Mi Familia

All things family-related. My husband and me, the children we made, the grandbebes that thrill us now. Our whole great big, loud, messy family. Love! *sigh…

Tara’s HOME TOUR!

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Truly, I promise – I have home tours coming!  Several people, *ahem, have said soon they will share their spaces.  They will show us what makes their home their home!  Meanwhile, the firstborn has submitted hers.

Tara is a home-maker, as many women are.  She makes home while mommying, wife-ing, travelling in ministry, song-writing, recording, etc.  She is always excitedly telling us about one project or another and very thoughtfully creates spaces that reflect the love between her and Dave, for their son and the life of worship to God they are building.  A guest in their home recently commented, “Your house is…warm.”  It is!

Tour Tara’s Home:

They use every inch of yard space to enjoy their family life.  And loving the outdoors like they do, Tara utilized an old tree stump as wall art later adding sepia prints from a family photo shoot.  It is striking.  And simple!

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You can kind of see the loft and skylight above and the kitchen opening from the living room.  The old window matches my coffee table as it is from Tara’s elementary school in Nebraska.  Tara specifically left the dishes in the sink under the word “Life” because that is what dishes are!

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Photos of the little guy hang on a dining area wall.  Tara loves to organize life via bulletin and message boards.

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Down the hallway, and a picture of our Home Tour hostess – taking pictures.  By the way, Tara told me she really had a blast photographing her home – just like I told her she would.

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Old maps, atlases, anything about world travel can find itself in the Powers family decor.  There are a lot of photographs of their little family, peach soy candles, and one-of-a-kind art by a friend atop the bookshelves.

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In the upstairs bath, French poster art (on canvas), and a piece from Tara’s sister, Stephanie, – the tree above the bath tissue.

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A gift: Hunter in pencil; Dave’s guitars as art in the loft/TV area.

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Giant art canvas painted by Pearl as a headboard.  A photo I really love (I found it in my pictures) of Tara, Dave and Hunter Christmas 2007.  They took it themselves and it really captures them at home.

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Hunter’s room-you gotta LOVE this poster of him with daddy and the accompanying scripture.  Some of his weaponry hanging.  They are good about encouraging the wild-hearted boy in him.

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These are some of the parts of Tara’s home that makes it theirs.  I can think of other scenes in her inviting house that I am surprised she didn’t send.  I hope she’ll discover more of the home she is building through the camera lense.  It is a wonderful new way to see.

Wanna give us a tour of your home?  C’mon!!  let me know…Jeanie

Cookie Love

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House of Love.

I got to see all my loves who were not in Honduras on Valentine’s Day.  What a bunch of smile-bringers!

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I may smack Martha Stewart in the chops.

I was innocently standing in line at WalMart, flipping through Martha’s latest magazine, when I saw the cutest cookies ever.  They were sugar cookie hearts glazed in all the colors of traditional conversation candy hearts.  I read the caption beside the photo that said you could just put red food color on a wet paper towel and use stampers to print the messages.

They were so simple – supposedly.  So lovely.  I decided I would do it – all the colors, all the conversation-heart sayings.  All for the ones I love.  I baked the cookies-on-sticks recipe, which truly works for bouquets and is amazingly delicious.  I have shared it here, before.

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The glaze is just water and powdered sugar and the tiniest bit of food color.  The first batch was so runny that the glaze just poured out all over the place – very little left on the cookie.  So, I thickened some of the glaze up and piped an outline on each of the cookies.  Soupy at first, it starts hardening in exactly 4.21 seconds.  Which-I did not realize until I had squished some blue glaze onto each of the cookies I was going to make blue, thinking I could spread it evenly in a minute.  I could not.  The blue were blotchy.  The red was too red.  It took until I got to the pink to finally get the consistency right and have the “flooding” technique down.  You go around and around the cookie, flooding it with the glaze.

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I decided not to do all the colors of the conversation heart candies.  I couldn’t bear it, after all.

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I did try the stamping technique and it worked OK and may have been better if I had spent more than $1 for the alphabet stamp set at Michael’s.  I didn’t measure, however, nor try to space evenly-so mine did NOT look like Martha’s.

In the future, I shall employ my normal cookie decorating techniques. 

For the love.

What makes us do these things?  Bake and decorate and try new things?  Because we love.  We love cookies.  And we love each other.  Sometimes we even love Martha.

Did you get sweets from your sweet?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Love.

pictured: Hunter and Gavin upside-down; Guini in her pink pj’s; Averi decked out in red and pink; Gemma-a girl and her popcorn;  outlined and filled cookies; stamped cookies; a little bouquet for my family.

The Husband. The Friend and Lover.

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Our first kiss was like,  fireworks ~ angel choirs ~ intoxicating ~ dizzying.  I am sorry to tell you I cannot really let you re-live that moment with Dave and I, for it was ours alone.  And to talk about it too much would embarrass our children and probably make you blush, but suffice it to say, once our lips met (and many, many times since), I was thoroughly, head-over-heels, giddy, heart-palpitating, screaming inside, flipped out in-love, forever.

And I remember how he reeled me in and made me a Dave-fan for life.  I was serious, untrusting, broken in lots of areas.  I was ready to try to hold him at arm’s length and test his love, his loyalty – dare him to try and stay.  And he?  Would playfully and persistently stay close and relentlessly charm and comfort until he could coax a relaxed smile from me – the one that only came because I knew I could count on him for always.

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He is my Valentine.

Home of Refuge – Honduras

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Tredessa and Stormie, Niece-Elise and Mary Jean, plus the rest, left for Honduras today.  They go.  I pray.  If they cross your mind, will you pray, too?  While they pour out, I am praying they will get filled!

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  John 14.18

Father, heal both the children who reside at the Home of Refuge and the ones who have gone to minister to them from the orphan spirit.  Reveal Your love and do a deep work in their hearts.  May the team return renewed, hearts healed, and energized by Your grace.”

Whew!

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My blog disappeared yesterday for at least 6 hours.  I got panicked, but the amazing Tristan got me back up and running.  I was thinking I would miss re-reading the things God has shown me that I have written here and even now go back to.  They are markers of His faithfulness, reminders of the things He has been teaching me over the past 2 years and a couple of months.  I would just really miss it if I lost them.

Dave says I need to save copies.  But I have truly used it as an online web-log=blog!

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On a cuter note ~ this morning during our “school time,” as I watched Hunter coloring the crap out of his worksheet, I asked, with all true sincerity, because I was thinking perhaps he had just never thought about slowing it down and concentrating on what those lines were there for to begin with,  “Hunter, have you ever considered coloring inside the lines?” 

To which he actually replied, “No, I’m not a ‘line kind of guy.’  I’m an out of line kind of guy.”  And, he is.

Relieved and amused, all in one day!…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Back up writing.  Take a cue from Hunter about coloring outside the lines.

pictured: Hunter getting to do a back-flip, one week ago

Pink Owl Cake and a Petting Zoo

2 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , , , , , , , ,

The cake.

Three tiers.  The 12″ bottom tier was a dark-chocolate butter cake with cherry pie filling.  The 9″ tier was strawberry with fresh strawberry filling.  Those were the two flavors Jovan and Rocky requested for Averi’s first birthday cake.  They left the top 6″ tier to my discretion.  So I baked my pumpkin spice specialty and filled it with a cream cheese icing.  It was all butter-creamed (or chocolate-fudge butter-creamed, as appropriate) and covered in 10 pounds or so of pink marshmallow fondant.

The decorating inspiration was from Averi’s gray and pink owl invitations (created by her Aunt Stormie).  I really hated the the big gray branch I made and placed on the middle tier, but once on, it was too late.  However, I enjoyed the owls.  I had only planned for one (chocolate chips for eyes), ended up doing two and could have done whole rows of them.  If I had it all to do again…

         

Averi had a “personal” cake, a 6″ funfetti with whipped cream spooned over.   She had never had cake or icing before, so we wanted to make sure she didn’t go in to sugar shock.  She could not understand why so  many people were asking her to dig in to her cake!  Averi was seated for the cake photos in the high chair her mommy celebrated her first birthday in!

It was pink.  And it was owls.

Jovan cut out gazillions of paper owls which hung everywhere and adorned all the little party hats she handmade for all the kiddies from patterned scrapbook paper.  Pink and silver balloons.  Pink satin.  Pink ribbon.  Pink flowers.  Oh and, cookies-on-sticks as favors, delish!

   

The petting zoo.

Farmer Wrex (do not mistake him for Old McDonald – for Wrex is hip and cool) and his amazingly gorgeous wife, Stefane (stunning in her red hoodie), so kindly made Averi’s party the block extravaganza of the subdivision’s winter by bringing over a few animals for the use of her (60+) guests and all the neighbors.  We had 2 bunnies, 2 rather opinionated and slightly irritated ducks, 1 classic chicken, a black calf that nearly inhaled everyone’s fingers (and Pastor Scott was giving it Pepsi…tsk), a mama goat and her 2 four-day-old baby goats, and one Welsh pony for rides.

    

        

One day Averi will look back and think she had an amazing party when she turned one.  But she really was not in the mood to ride a pony!  Not at all.  She cried and held all animals after that in suspect.  But everyone else enjoyed the petting zoo and pony rides up and down the street very much!  Stefane and Wrex are the BEST!

Averi’s 1st birthday celebration  (planned meticulously by mommy-Jovan) was a hoo, hoo-t!,  Get it?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Don’t let cake sit in the sun before the party-near disaster!!

pictured: click on thumbnails for a closer look

Happy 1st Birthday, Averi Jayden Rhoades!

2 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, Stuff I Actually Think, , ,

Today is Averi’s first birthday!

 

Was it a year ago already that we gathered at the hospital for hours and hours and hours waiting for you to arrive?  And when you waited until just about an hour before your “due date” to make your arrival – we cheered madly in the hallway and  sang praises for God’s gift!? Can it have been 365 days since I first layed eyes on your pretty little face and teared up watching you and your mommy looking at each other with the deepest human love possible?  Yes, it has been a year.  And now, we cannot even remember life before you!

All your cousins and aunts and uncles and Nonna and Poppa call you “Baby Averi,” and still delight to see you come through the door!  What will her hair look like today, we wonder?  Will it be mussy and full or in barrettes?  Will it be in a mature pony and better yet, two little pigtails?  The only thing bigger than your adorable hair are your two gigantic, liquid-blue eyes.  No wait, maybe those puffy, pink, kissable cheeks.  Yes-I think the cheeks first, then the eyes and then the hair.  You are the original love-marshmallow: soft and sweet and delicious and you smell wonderful!

  

I love to see you eating your veggies, chew, chew chew!  I love your tooth-revealing smile and crinkled nose.  I love singing “Averi-Baby” to you to the tune of “Pretty Baby” because you bounce and dance, loving your song.  I love how you rattle off stories and baby jokes to me and then rear back and push out that long, loud laugh!  You are a comedianne and you look just like your mommy except when you draw those eyebrows together in a scowl – then I see your daddy loud and clear!

Happy Birthday, Averi-Baby!  I love you bunches!…Nonna

NOTE TO SELF:  Watch all buttons on TVs and computers and anything tech because this is Averi’s passion right now!

pictured: Averi, all Averi…click on images for a better look

School Days

2 Mi Familia, Stuff I Actually Think, ,

One of the most important parts of my life right now is getting to pre-school 4 year old Hunter and 3 year old Guini (Gavin “graduated” to Kindergarten last fall).  Of all the amazing things in my life right now, and, wow, I am blessed, time with my grandbabies playing with shapes and colors and numbers and first words and crayons and markers and books and paint is like – the best!  They call it “school with Nonna.”  I call it time with the ones-of-my-heart.

 

pictured:  Guini on Tuesday, Hunter on Thursday

Quoteable Home

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Who said this?  “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

  

 

“…in this house…we are living our days in contentment and grace…”  Alexandra Stoddard

 

“Home should be a very personal oasis, a refuge from trends, prentiousness, ‘in and outs.’  Home should reflect the things we love and the people we care about.”  Joann R. Barwick in House Beautiful,  January 1989

“‘Second hand,’ or ‘already loved.'”  Mary Emmerling

“Economy often begets creativity.”  Mary Emmerling

 

[In home decor], “I work for an unstudied, unpackaged effect.”  -Winslow

A pine table is a proper thing, but a pine table that pretends to be black walnut is an abomination.”  Ella Church Rodman

 

“Start Fresh. 

Strip your place of everything – remove light fixtures, ugly hardware, hinges, doors, moldings, carpets – anything that is ugly and you don’t like it.”  Alexandra Stoddard in Style for Living

This whole home-making thing started with this post.

pictured from top: a corner of Robin’s house featuring the oak clawfoot pedestal table some one gave to Dave and Tara who gave it to me before I gave it to Joe and Robin;  a rooster Robin recently purchased on a treasure-shopping expidition; Hunter jumping on the couch this morning

Robin’s Nest

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My sister-in-law, Robin, is a pastor’s wife, mom of four and a real estate agent (I wrote about her recently).  She has always successfully put her homes together with more creativity and ingenuity than with piles of cash.  She loves cottage decorating and has a toile passion.  She commented on my recent “House Call” blog post about how she enjoys painting furniture these days and making chalkboards from cheap, ugly and old Salvation Army artwork.  She paints the frames and then just paints the picture part with chalkboard paint and has one in almost every room.  As per my call for your pictures (readers-that means YOU), she just sent me a few photos of things she is up to in her house these days.

See Robin’s home and current projects.

 

Here are a couple of Robin’s chalkboards from what were formerly old thrift-store framed art.  Also, check out Robin’s favorite curtains made from toile she purchased at WalMart and the three large windows she covered in curtains she made from $1-yard fabric from the same decorator’s paradise! (Do I see “Robin’s egg blue” on those walls?  Haha!  Your name just lends itself to these comments and phrases, Robin!)

  

  

Next project:  The wood piece above is an old optometrist’s cabinet that Robin plans to paint.  The French impressionist painting on the left below was a $2 find at the Salvation Army in Aberdeen, SD.  The classic English boy and girl prints also came from “Sally’s.”

  

 

Here are Robin’s empty frames, hung for the beauty they possess all by themselves. And an invitation to imagine what might be!

Thanks for sharing a glimpse through your Aberdeen, SD windows, Robin.  Now, dear readers, you send me your pictures.  Show me what makes your home really your home in snapshots of vignettes and rooms.  E-mail them to jeanierhoades@yahoo.com -or- the other email! :)

We are taking home tours!…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  A new chalkboard in a cool frame (painted, naturally)!  The one I have actually was a chalkboard.  How very un-original!

click on images above for a better view