A New Porch

I have a big, fat, ugly porch. It's very sad because it could be quite lovely. I don't have a ton of money to sink into it right now, and even when I did I hesitated because our porch furniture was stolen right after we moved in. Now that was 9 years ago, and the neighborhood has changed quite a bit since then- but it still makes you wonder. I would LOVE a country cottage feel on my front porch- a beauty that welcomes company into my very old-fashioned 1920's bungalow.

I mostly find pieces by "curb shopping" (as a certain little girl calls it). I found 2 farm chairs this morning which I intend to paint white to couple with an end table that my daddy stripped and took apart. I am going to use it's top and put some Ready made table legs on it. But I need help. I have NO talent for placement! (be it furniture, pictures on a wall, knock knacks- you get the point.) I am determined to get to work on this so post your thoughts/ideas please! I'd love to hear them. I'll try to post some pics but my computer has died and I'm not sure my phone will let me!

Oh Heavenly Wednesday!

Some Wednesdays are, honestly, quite forgetable.  They come uneventfully, and leave in the same manner....

BUT NOT TODAY, MY FRIENDS!

Why, you may ask?  What makes this Wednesday so memorable?  What makes this Wednesday so far more fabulous than any other given Wednesday?

Did you catch that?  Here.....let's see if I can zoom in on that precious little bit....

Sweet Mother of Blogdom!  Can that be from whom I think it is????? Mrs Alicia Paulson???  Is it my long awaited.....

YES! YES! Oh the tears are streaming down my face! (I'm serious people!  Did you read about the week I had last week with Abby?)  But how should I indulge?  Should I save it for after the kids go to bed and make a cup of tea?  Should I get a glass of lemonade and go sit on the glider on the porch with it?  Ooooo, how about the hammock?  Oh dash it all.....I'll just look at it right here standing at the kitchen counter (where I spend 90% of my life anyway!)!  Oops, what was that which just fell out??

Oooooo, a lovely little postcard- I'll just flip it over and....EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's it.  Confirmed.  BEST Wednesday of my life EVER!  So let's just get started flippin through th.......

10 minutes or so later.......Marla is getting up off of the kitchen floor, rubbing the back of her head with a glazed over look in her eyes.

It is astounding.  Beautiful.  Intimate.  Detailed.  Personal.  Inspiring.

BEST Wednesday.....ever.......

Abby update....

Dear Friends, I thank you so much for your prayers for Little Bit.  That was one scary week!  She has never had a temperature of 103.7, and has CERTAINLY never had a temperature for 6 days running!  Monday we went in for more bloodwork and the dr gave Abby a clean bill of health! (That little trooper didn't even flinch! Are we sure she's my child? I mean really- she doesn't mind picking up large dead bugs or having blood drawn!!) Anywho, the doctor said she believes that the virus just REALLY attacked Abs' blood.

Abs is back to school and enjoying her third full day.  She loves it, and particularly likes the "Little Bitties" that come to school now (a 4 and 5K were added).  Thank you again, Friends- for your calls, emails, and prayers! We love and appreciate you!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ABBY!!!

I am writing to let u know that we Cains are quite desperate for your prayers right now. As some of you know, Abby has had a fever since Monday afternoon. We went to the dr on Tuesday because she hit 103.7 but they said it was just a virus (not our normal dr) I called our normal dr on Wed ANC she said if Abby wasn't better by Friday to bring her back in. I took her in this morning and they did a lot of bloodwork. Her numbers came back pretty low, which is not terribly abnormal if you have a virus, but the dr said that even with a virus they were low so she tested her for mono as well (which will come back Monday). We have to go back in Monday morning for more bloodwork. If it is just a virus, the numbers will hold or begin to bounce back. If they haven't, then we will be sent to a hematologist for more in-depth testing (leukemia). PLEASE pray her numbers come up and it is just a virus (or mono). And please feel free to pass this around to those you know would pray for Abby!

Thanks so much!!
Marla

Back for good!

Hello Blogdom Friends!  I hope you have had a refreshing, reflective, easy-going summer.  My summer has been completely outta sorts!  As you can see from above, this has been our hottest summer yet!  I didn't plant, I didn't go outside, I didn't even refil bird-feeders.  Yes!  You heard me!  Empty bird-feeders...it's a travesty, I tell you!  I came home from my last blog entry and found that our air-conditioner had broken!  But bless my MacGuyver of a husband's heart- he rigged it so we can run it with it set on 80......we have completely and utterly changed our cores to accept 80 as the new 72!  I have, quite honestly, all summer, been in a heat-induced funk!  But, we did manage to do a few extraordinary things this summer that I'll share with you.....

We attended the "Birmingham Members Day" which is a day where all of the local family entertainment venues (i.e. the Zoo, McWane Science Center, Vulcan, Southern Museum of Flight, etc.) open up for free so that you may try them out.  This is my boys enjoying some time in the cock-pit.

My precious girl, whom I admire so much, decided she was hot and didn't need all of that hair so she donated it to Locks of Love!  Here she was just a little unsure.....

but then it was too late to change her mind....

and look how adoreable she is with short hair!!  I am so proud of her for doing what she can to kick cancer in the behind! (We hate that ol yucky cancer...HATE it!)

Then the kiddos got invited to a backyard bible study at a new friend's house.  They had a great week- and we ran into some old precious friends who we thought had moved!  Hooray for finding old friends again!  Pam led the study and I was inspired by her servant's heart towards those kiddos.

As the summer began to wind down for us, Abby's school moved and we went over to see if we could help out! What great helpers those girls were as they worked together so nicely!

And now, here we are!  This was Monday, Abby's first day of third grade at Crestwood Day School and Ben's first day of kindergarten with me at home.  I've gotta think of a name for our school.  I have been calling it the "Cain Family School of Genius" since Abby began kindergarten! lol!  Anyone have any ideas?  Our home is lovingly referred to as "Cainberly" (only by me, of course) so maybe I should work that into it!  Oh, and promptly after the first day of school, Abby got sick and hasn't returned all week!!  Here's the eerie part...I missed my first week of third grade due to illness too!  Isn't that something?!

So, Dear Friends, I'm now on a schedule with school again, working on finishing projects in the house (painting, organizing, etc), and beginning to start on Christmas presents....so there's lots of crafty thoughts floating around.  I'm so excited to be back to blogging, and I hope those 12 of you over there that read my blog before I took the summer off will come back and visit again!  I've missed you!