green thumb?

This weekend I FINALLY got to work on my growing love for gardening. Some of you who know us will remember that last year I attempted to start a vegetable garden but it was abruptly halted by premature death due to the lack of the very necessary ingredient: H2O (trust me - my degree is in biology. It's necessary). Anyway, I went to California to see some lovely lady friends graduate from college (Elle & Tory) with my sister Nashee and came home to completely dead seedlings. I totally forgot to tell T$ to water the little guys, T$ didn't even think to check up on our baby vegetables until I asked him over the phone on my last night how they were doing. He reported back with some pretty devastating news. Thankfully, 2010 is in the past and 2011 is upon us. Time to try again...

The ingredients: Soil, seeds (this year I'm going with cilantro, cucumber, bell peppers), egg carton

Very necessary: H2O

Egg carton houses the seeds until they're ready to be planted in the yet-to-be-made-garden

With dirt & water. I like to make sure the egg carton is pretty soaked. 

With the seeds! 

Ready to go! Sunshine please bless us with your presence as often as possible. Let's grow!!!! Pretty please???

ladies & gentlemen...

The floor is finished! Go ahead and high-five yourself, run around on your floor... Oh wait, maybe that's just me & T$... Here's a look back on the floor timeline. I am trying to remember to take photos from the same spot...Sometimes I forget. My sincerest apologies. 

Original - our 1st night at home.

Carpet up - laying down the boards. 

Half-stained, half-bare

Stained

clear coat!

No carpet - view from the living room

Underlayment

Stain

Clear coat

Rest. 

Mr. Yamanaka

Last night my mom gave her testimony/life story at a dinner party hosted by my dad's brother. I have heard it before but certainly learned new things as well. One of the stories I knew very little of was Mr. Yamanaka's. I have always known that via written letters (sidenote: I REALLY wish this was the main mode of correspondence today still) my mom & Mr. Yamanaka formed a relationship. He discipled her to Christ through these letters. And in a way, he is my spiritual grandfather. Their last letters back and forth took place on January 1, 1985 when my mom told him she was engaged to marry my dad that spring. Mr. Yamanaka's reply was the last letter she ever received congratulating her and telling her how proud he was of her.

Earlier in his life he had been disowned by his Buddhist parents after converting to Christianity.  He lived in Japan during Japan's invasion of China but was jailed because he was a conscientious dissenter. The Japanese government starved him while he was in prison. Eventually, Mr. Yamanaka was so weak and lethargic that they assumed him to be dead. They called his wife (appropriately named Mrs. Yamanaka) to pick up his body for burial. On the way home from jail, it was discovered that Mr. Yamanaka was ALIVE! He was nursed back to health and moved to San Francisco shortly thereafter.

I know I'm butchering the story. Missing details. But all that to say, God had a much larger plan for Mr. Yamanaka. Because of his faithfulness in dissenting to the military campaign Japan was waging he was saved for larger plans. His entire goal in life was to convert unbelieving Japanese to a saving faith in Christ. My mom was his last "Timothy".

I am so thankful for Mr. Yamanaka. I am so excited to meet you in heaven & meet everyone you brought to Christ. Thank you for being a "Paul" to my Mom.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." - Hebrews 12: 1-3



me & my mama

 *picture of Mr. Yamanaka to come later*

99 balloons

weekly gratitude

• Thank you for this BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE. Really can't get enough of it.
• Thank you for prayer. For time alone with Christ. May I always use that time to grow closer to my Savior.
• Thank you for female friendship. Girls night last night, tonight, tomorrow night.... (T$ is at Magoo).
• Thank you MOM. I know I already know your story but I am excited and eager for others to hear how you found God despite your circumstances this weekend.

Baby Mom



Baby Mom in Japan

• Thank you for family. I am thankful for where I come from & excited to share those stories with my own little family someday.

My mom's side of the family. Spot my mama?



how to install hardwood flooring...PART 1

1. Love Jesus & attend church (the best husbands are made there).



2. Become friends with the kid who likes to build stuff.


 


3. Start dating him in college.





4. Get married a few years later. 

5. Purchase a townhouse

6. Husband mills his own flooring (remember - he's the kid that likes to build things).



7. Rip out carpet & linoleum. I promise I helped!
There are just no pictures to prove it...




8. Nail down stuff...sub floor, underlayment, etc.




10. Play with it until you like the look of the layout.





11. Nail it down!



To come: The staining process, clear coat, and the FINAL PRODUCT (hopefully to be done in 1 week from today)!

 Optional: rent an apartment for awhile, play a lot of cribbage, go to Hawaii, learn to cook & make dinners for said husband, be leaders together at ASM, go to family dinners, watch a lot of sports, etc. 

weekly gratitude

• Thank you Costco for being one of my favorite monthly date nights with T$. And for filling up our pantry with real food!
• Thank you Daniel for coming home - always showing me music, articles, photos, and being the slowest player in Scrabble.
• Thank you La Conner & Queen of the Valley Inn for a weekend of relaxation!
• Thank you Cory for turning a year older and giving me an opportunity to smash cake into T$'s face.
• Thank you East of Eden - Timsehl, "thou mayest". Still gives me chills.

family meeting

I may (or may not) have presented this to T$ awhile ago. Still waiting on the outcome...

on vacation

This past weekend was spent "on vacation" approximately 1 hour north from home (but it felt much further away). Time was spent reading, relaxing, enjoying the SUNSHINE & tulips, our bed & breakfast, devouring delicious homemade breakfasts, Jerry, Mazy, and female friendship.


I don't know if you can tell, but this photo was taken by a VERY tall  (& nice) man.





hello, Sunshine.

 P.S. And I was lucky enough to come home to a husband that missed me, and a completed kitchen! The post on the hardwood floor to come later at a date to be determined by my hard working T$. :)