Showing posts with label TUAR Tea Room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TUAR Tea Room. Show all posts

Friday, February 14, 2014

7 Quick Takes, Volume Six

 
 
 
        Finally. He just cannot put the books down! The Hunger Games trilogy. I never intended to let him read them till he was older......but I made a spontaneous decision when I saw a movie poster for Catching Fire.  I told him.....if he could read the first two books.....he could go to the movies with us. He took forever to get through the first third of the first book.  It just did not grab him like I thought it would.  He did not make it to the movies with us.  Eventually, after his 30 minutes of required (yeah.....what is this????  I...me? A bibliophile....has to force my own kid to read???) reading a day, for a couple of weeks......he finally got caught up in the story.  He awakened and read.....and skipped meals reading......and delayed bed, reading.  Yay!  He was finally a discipline problem!  He is now into the third book.  The most he has ever read in a month's time.  I have no idea where I want to go from here for him......I definitely do not want to lose my momentum.  I mean, his momentum.

       I am totally taking into consideration the idea of never folding laundry again.  I worked hard on my day off to get all of the laundry clean.  I worked for two solid days, 15.5 hours and 13 hours respectively....and both boys were off from school those days.  Not only did no one think to fold the laundry....but they went digging through it and dumped it all around the basket.  And that was how I found it the night I got off work.  Considering this happened the week before as well......I think maybe I will fold my own laundry, give my daughter her laundry.....and leave the boys' laundry in a basket in the laundry room. Their other issue is that when they take their clean & folded stack of laundry into their rooms.....they just set the stack down......never get them into the drawers.

      Now, I know some of you would just say to have them do their own laundry.....but in the division of labor in this house, I would prefer doing the laundry over doing the dishes and snow shoveling (in other winters, obviously not this year)......so, I will probably keep my job.

     And, of course, I must put the pun out there:  Yes.  I most certainly just aired our dirty laundry.


      The boys and I were teasing Siri the other night.......she can be so silly.

 
 
 


My niece sent out a Facebook Saint Valentine greeting for the family tonight........

Photo: Happy Valentine's Day from the cutest Valentines in the world! ;) MUUUAAAAH
My little Great-nieces:
Eris at 4 weeks and Mitchie at 5 months.

 
       Speaking of Mitchie, my little great-niece........ she and her parents are moving from Hawaii tomorrow. To Reno!  Which means that I will get to go kiss and cuddle with her in person soon!  So very excited! But so bittersweet........she is moving away from her Grandma who has been with her since birth......my poor sister is going to miss her so much. 


       I mentioned last week that my dear friend Micki passed away after a very short and aggressive illness.  We are still so shocked that this happened to our Micki. The family is asking us to write and share our memories of Micki.  I was already planning to do that, for myself.  I keep getting distracted by writing other things......especially fun link-ups like this one........so, I am going to ban myself from writing anything else until I get Micki's tribute penned. I pray that I can get it done before her memorial service.  Thus.......this blog will be silence while I work the weekend, recover...and write for Micki.  And while Willa recovers from her very busy adventure to Walt Disney World.

I leave you with a little funny. 
Who gets this?
 
I really want to know.
 






For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Friday, January 31, 2014

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume Four


 
 
 
 
   Good morning from my front porch!
 
Every morning, a new painting from Our Creator.
What Blessings He bestows!
 
 
 
 
      Just before Christmas, my oldest daughter and I were at the mall getting some coffee in Starbucks. This box of tea was sitting on the counter.......it tempted me, and when I saw that I was getting it for 40% off.......it was mine.  It reads: A jubilant blend of black tea, oolong, jasmine green tea with a hint of peach. Yep.  That was it.  Oh, I fell in love the flavor......wishing that I had bought both the tins sitting on that counter. I was drinking the tea almost daily.........and on the day that I was grieving over the fact that my time with this tea was fleeting.....my daughter found that I had another tin of the same tea, different packaging......apparently left over as a gift from last Christmas.  How did I miss that???  I am enjoying the blessing of those extra 19 tea sachets......hoping that they will be back for me next year!




 
      I teach childbirth classes every other month. I am in my thirteenth year. When I took this photo of the room in which I teach, all set up and ready to go, it was 6pm.....start of class, and not one person had arrived.  They all waltzed in five minutes late.  Anyway......just posting this photo for a memory shot of where I spend some of my time.......




        My goal is at least four miles of walking for my daily exercise on as many days a week as I can manage (any day off from work)........when I am not recovering from the flu and I am up to speed.  I have been walking as many days as I can this last week or so, even though my body and lungs are not fully recovered, but I do not want to lose my momentum want to regain my momentum.  Because I live in a rural area, most of my walking.....nay, all of my walking takes place as a nature walk as well.  I am forced to resist the urge not to photograph every last thing that I find beautiful or interesting.........but yesterday afternoon, I captured this photo of how these flowers over-winter.  They are so beautiful....and ubiquitous here. I have to honestly say that I have no idea what they are.......but I love them better in the winter than when fresh.  :)  I got 2.5 miles yesterday!  I am so pleased to take advantage of our April weather.......in January. :/



           Last week, I heard my dogs barking and when I looked out the window, I saw a young red-headed, long-haired, but well-kempt boy trying to enter my drive-way, trying to be brave in the face of two large Golden Retrievers barking in his path.  He looked about ten or eleven years old. I went out to save him from those vicious retrievers (not).  I heard him holler over the din that he was selling something. He carried a metal box, rectangular, but not very thick. As the dogs quieted, I could hear him:  "I am selling jewelry that my mom and I made.  I am selling them because we are living in our car.  She lost her job because she got hurt."  We chatted.......it turns out that he and his brother are being homeschooled, through the same charter school that my little guy goes through.....and four of my kids have graduated from.  I asked if the school knew he was living in his car......he said his teacher did.  In the end, his story seemed very believable.......and my heart was wrenched.  I bought this sweet bracelet.  And I never buy anything from anyone who comes to the door........Please pray for the little guy.  I never saw anyone else with him.........my son later saw him walking the road a mile away.





        Oh, be still my heart. Big brother made morning coffee for the little brother who was reading on the couch. Then they went to the front porch swing to enjoy the morning sun together, coffee mugs in hand.






      I believe that while they sat in the lovely late January morning........they planned out the day.......because the rest of the day went like this........

  • First, they both sat in the messiness of our house, just reading......I did not interrupt.......guessed they can clean up later....

  • .....then the bigger brother made a nice brunch for himself and his older sister and little brother

  • ....followed by the boys actually cleaning up the whole kitchen without being asked

  • Then he took the little brother on a hike to the meadow.....and knife throwing (sigh)

  • Finally returning home just as the dark descended, I heard quiet after they settled........I peeked, and these two who usually turn the TV on whenever they get a chance.......were reading yet again today.  Hunger Games for the Little and Frankenstein for the older.

  • Later, they watched a couple of episodes of Doctor Who together

     This is not usually a sight to be seen around here........sometimes, yes, but not for an entire day.....and rarely including books.....rarely, with these two.....so pleased they made such nice memories today.

Porch swing: built by 9 year old Matthew in 4-H....he is now 23......it has been around awhile...


 


      My rant this last week, as written on Facebook (which seem like "Quick Takes to me.....):

So, I realize that I have a yearly whine about all of these FAFSAs.......but no longer. Have any of you met the CSS/Financial Profile over at the College Board???? It is required by three of the schools my 18yo is applying to......it has NINETEEN pages of financial information. It is awful. It makes the FAFSA look like a piece of cake......I just want to cry. Really??? What were medical expenses in 2012? And in 2013? and what do you expect in 2014?? And it goes on and on like that......How much did you spend on toothpaste last year? What do you expect next year? Oh! And they want to know financial details on each of her siblings......there are five of them! It is just too much.......rant not over.....but I will stop writing on this post now......very.heavy.sigh. Oh...one more thing: they want to know details about the taxes you are not required to file till April! This is just too much!



Update:  It took us about three hours to fill the thing out, once we had gathered all the info.  Boy! did it feel an incredible relief to be done with that!  ....especially four days early!  Phew!



For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!



Blessings,
 
          Chari


And lastly...........a perfect place to show off my little great-nieces again.  ;)  Get used to it!


Sweet Eris is three weeks old tomorrow.

Mitchie now five months old....my favorite age!!
I think I will be meeting her next month....I hope!

 

Friday, January 24, 2014

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 3

 
Wow. Have I really just kept up with three weeks of these 7 Quick Takes? 

      I decided that today I would focus my takes on seven (well, maybe most of them) photos taken on my iPhone in the last week or so.......
 
 
 
 
 
       I really, really , really want to beg prayers for my sweet friend Micki!  She was diagnosed over New Year's with an aggressive lung cancer.  She is such a healthy person.......not sure why this is happening to someone so young and healthy.  I have known and loved Micki for over twenty years.  Please beg she is one of those people who can be cured from this cancer.  Her family needs her for many more years yet.  Right now she is extremely ill. And could really use the prayers.  Her story and guestbook is on this Caring Bridge website.  Please leave a message of prayer for her family, if you feel inclined.  It will only take a moment.

 
        My husband was looking for a new car for my daughter to use while she is going to school in San Francisco. And then, he was going to try to find a small car to replace my aging Honda......that is currently too old to take outside of town driving.  Due to a set of unexpected circumstances, he found my car first.  So, he will be taking it this weekend to my daughter to use while he tries to find a car for her.  I am pretty excited!  My old Honda has dents and windshield cracks from a deer hitting it.......the driver's window will not open (torture for me who likes fresh air regardless of the season).......and other general issues for an old car.  It will be wonderful to have a new (new to us.....it is a 2006) and a safe one!  The old Honda has no airbags.  That really bothers me. Would you believe that less than twelve hours after my husband brought the new Honda home, the old one refused to start???  As soon as he can bring my new Honda home to stay, it will be so nice to have a reliable and safe car to drive out of town.......now that my travel companions are so few.....that I rarely need to drive the Yukon XL.




         If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram........you probably remember all the wild turkeys I ran into last spring while I took my exercise walk.  This week when I went to drop off my youngest son for a play date....we passed the wild turkeys on the way.  On the way back.......I got a couple of photos of Turkeys Crossin' the Road. And you can see the lovely road I get to walk on.....and sometimes drag Willa along when she visits.  It is also the exact spot where I bumped into the bear last year. You know that derailed my walking into that part of the neighborhood for a while.  Still have only been back there twice on a walk.....because I actually had a walking companion on those days.





         I Pinned something to one of my Pinterest boards....or saw it on Pinterest.....and in the background of whatever the photo was about, I saw a mantle decorated with glass balls for Christmas.  I drove down to Rite Aid......got myself some glass balls for half-price....dug around in my  ribbon collection and luckily had one ribbon that could work....and proceeded to decorate my windows in this way........the tree was in the middle of this window.  I know it looks pretty simple and plain here........but, it turned out pretty cute and festive. Yay me!  I actually did something inspired by Pinterest!  ;)





     I used to bake a lot. I have always baked better than I could cook.  But in the past decade, I have baked only a couple of times a year.  Why????  because baking involves calories that I do not need....and really cannot afford.  And I have no willpower for "eating just one"....or a few.  I eat them till they are gone.  So, I just do not bake.  But every once in awhile.......I cannot fight the urge to have something. Last week.....I was wanting something sweet in the house.......but I could not think of what that should be.  Till my niece mentioned oatmeal cookies on a Facebook post.  Well, you know that I could not stop thinking about them after that!  My step-mother always made her oatmeal cookies using the recipe on the Quaker Oats round box.......and she always sprinkled them with nonpareils.  Num.  I love these cookies.  They almost taste healthy.....with all those oats.  And they were the perfect sweet for this week.


 


      We do not have any cats.......but in spite of that fact, there are about ten cats that live at my house.  Basically, they are barn cats.......except that we do not have a barn.....so, they are garage cats.......except that last summer my husband kicked them out of the garage.  Either way.....they are feral. He made them little box condos in the dog pen.  They like their new home.  We do feed and water them. A handful of them are tame and loved to be picked up and loved on.....here are two who managed to get into the garage with the dogs.  It was really cold.  One was laying on top of the other for warmth.  They were like that for hours.  Willa's Aidan loves my cats.  I think Brendon and Paddy like them, too. This is for Aidan.





     Somebody posted this "SELFIE" post on Facebook.  I just love it!  So true!







For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
 
 
      I really like the idea of using pictures I have taken to stimulate me to thoughts for what to write.  It worked out well.  Have a blessed day!
 
 
Blessings,
 
           Chari
 
 
 PS  I leave you with a random baby photo of my great-niece who will be two weeks tomorrow! Hope her mom does not mind me post an Aunt-bragging photo without her permission.  ;)
 



 

Friday, January 17, 2014

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 2

 
 
 
 
     I just want to say......that sometimes I feel very wistful about some stuff..........and I just want to tell all of you stay-at-home moms, just in case you needed a reminder......to give thanks to that opportunity.  I have pretty much always worked a little to part-time..........since my second was born 23 years ago. For about twelve years in the middle of that.......I was able to only work about 0-6 days a month, but in October of 2012, I began working full-time.  I really miss having the ability to be with my kids, both physically (on the days I am gone) and mentally (on the days I am recovering form work), I hate missing their sports and other outings, I miss traveling with them whenever we wanted, I miss trying to keep up the house (not that I was ever all that great, but I was always trying), I miss cooking for my kids, and being in more service to them and our home than I feel I can do at this moment, and I really regret that I cannot write a blog post when I want.....or improve myself in reading more, and then more books.  I am not really much of a complainer.......Pollyanna, that I am.....but these feelings are so strong these days, I just wanted to admit them.  Who else has to work outside the home?  I would love to know so that I can pray for you!


     I did my Very Hard Thing this week........having some oral surgery that involved an extraction.  It actually went extremely well, thanks to Saint Apollonia and my Facebook friends who were praying for me.  I never needed pain medicine.....I hardly bled......I did not get that bad complication he said I was at risk for getting.........and my oral surgeon gave me flowers! I have posted my Facebook conversation below......to keep for my memory's sake. You can skip that part......



Chari Goldman Bryan  14 January near Grenada, CA
Looking for Saint Apollonia prayers this morning please? Offering this up for your intentions. God bless!

Like ·14 like this.


 
     I have a tea cupboard......it takes up a whole cabinet.  Three shelves.  Please feel free to drop by for tea. anytime. boiling water is always at the ready.




 
      It has been such a lovely January.  I am enjoying the temperatures near 60*.  Our nights are pretty cold right now, many times in the teens.  I ate lunch outside in the sunshine yesterday. In January!  And here is the hard part.........to be a good sport, I must be praying for snow, or at least rain.  We are used to having several feet of snow by now.  Maybe even several times, already.  January is our wettest month. I am a little nervous.......sometimes our driest Januaries are followed by our wettest Marches.  So far, since July.....we have not even had 4 inches of precipitation.  That puts us about 75% below normal.  We got snow once, in early December, just about 5 inches. Our ski park has yet to open.  That sadly means that lots of locals are not making money.......no ski park employees, no hotels, no restaurants......no snow really, really hurts the economy here.  And.......the water here feeds into most of the state of California......sooooo......receiving lots more water is a very. huge. deal.  Thus, I am being a good sport.  I am praying for precip, with a bit of a pouty face.  But like my friend Franny keeps praying for:  SAFE precip.  We are used to the mountain being bare in September, October, maybe.  But never, ever in January.




      This photo of The Mountain was taken in November, after it had received a dusting of that blessed snow.  It eventually became much more bare.......in January!

      I simply cannot stop eyeing my calendar, looking for the perfect day to make Those Blessed Cinnamon Rolls. After the Christmas celebrations have passed, I find that I did not quite get the usual satisfaction of having had enough cinnamon rolls.  When I verbalized this, I found that my offspring are feeling the same.  They are encouraging me to make another batch or so........Mmmmmm.


 

       So, after years of reading reviews and testimonials on these Purple Rags of Flylady's.........I thought that I should get them and see how well they live up to the wonderful words people have used to describe them.  And, for my husband who cares not for gifts, these would make a perfectly and practical Christmas present.

       So far, I just love them......and my windows are so clean that at night, they look like mirrors, and in the daylight, it looks like there is no glass....just air.  That alone has made it worth to purchase these rags. Nothing else I have ever used has cleaned my windows this well. I have great views......so I  love my windows to be crystal-clear-clean. I know that other Microfiber cloths can be purchased elsewhere.......but many of the testimonials are from people stating that these are better than other Microfiber cloths that had used in the past. Either way.......I am definitely satisfied every time I use them....
        I enjoy looking at the key searchwords for the blog on the stats page.......how people get here from Google.  Last week there was a sweet one: 

                      Pope Benedict praying the Rosary while walking.

Isn't that so sweet a visual? Let's see what I find when I put it into Google myself.......in images, I find these:


                    



– When does Benedict XVI say the rosary?
– In summer, after introducing the summer time the Pope begins the rosary prayer at 6.45pm everyday – he prays with his personal secretary prelate priest George Ganswein, walking in the Vatican Gardens, near the cave from Lourdes. Apart from the summer time, when days are shorter, the Pope goes to the Gardens for a prayer earlier at 4.15pm, whereas in his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, prays, walking in the alley, in the shadow of green oak-trees, and at the end he stops at the figure of Our Lady standing near a pond with fish. When the weather is bad, the rosary is said in the Apostolic Palace.
 
I am pretty sure that they ended up at this blog post of Willa's:
  Running (or walking or working) with the Rosary
 
 
 


 
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

 

 Winter Blessings,
 
                   Chari